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Selected social impact indicators influenced by materials for green energy technologies
Saeed Rahimpour1,2, Mohammad El-Wali3,4, Iryna Makarava5
1Hydrometallurgy and Corrosion, Circular Raw Materials Hub, Department of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering (CMET), School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. saeed.rahimpour@aalto.fi.
Nature Communications
|October 30, 2024
Summary
Aluminum production offers significant social benefits for the green energy transition, creating jobs and income. However, critical materials like Cobalt, Lithium, Silicon, and Zinc pose substantial social risks, impacting Sustainable Development Goals.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Materials Science
- Sociology
Background:
- The social implications of the green energy transition remain largely unexamined.
- Identifying materials with high social benefits versus high social risks is crucial for sustainable development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the social benefits and risks associated with critical materials in green energy technologies.
- To inform policy and practice for a just and equitable energy transition.
Main Methods:
- Development of a dynamic material-energy flow model.
- Integration of system dynamics, social life cycle assessment, and geometallurgical approaches.
- Focus on critical materials (Rare Earth Elements, Nickel, Silicon, Graphite, Magnesium, Gallium, Germanium, Indium, Aluminum, Cobalt, Lithium, Zinc, Tellurium) in wind turbines, electric vehicles, and solar photovoltaic panels.
Main Results:
- Aluminum production for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels generates substantial employment and income.
- Extraction of Cobalt, Lithium, Silicon, and Zinc presents the highest social risks.
- Social impacts assessed include work safety, gender equality, informal employment, labor income share, employment rate, and child labor.
Conclusions:
- Aluminum offers significant social benefits in green energy applications.
- Cobalt, Lithium, Silicon, and Zinc extraction pose considerable social risks, requiring careful management.
- The study highlights the need to balance technological advancement with social equity and worker well-being in the green energy transition.
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