As the world moves from internal combustion vehicles to electric mobility, the global need for petroleum will be replaced by lithium. And while more eco-friendly, lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles or (EV batteries) require scarce metals that come with their own set of important environmental and ethical dilemmas.

The video uses the United States’ only active lithium mine in Thacker Pass, Nevada as an example not only of how incredibly difficult it is to produce lithium, but the myriad of environmental, safety, cultural, and ethical issues the world will soon face.