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Do we have enough lithium to power the future?

Can we meet the soaring demand for lithium, a vital metal for electric cars and green energy? Mining is concentrated in a limited number of countries such as Australia and Chile.

Can we meet the soaring demand for lithium, a vital metal for electric cars and green energy? Mining is concentrated in a limited number of countries such as Australia and Chile. And with China dominating the manufacture of electric car batteries and already accounting for the importation of a high proportion of raw lithium, it may be difficult for Western countries to secure their own supplies.

With Tanya Beckett. Producer Bob Howard

(A worker checks lithium car batteries at the Xinwangda factory in Nanjing,China on March 12, 2021. AFP via Getty Images)

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23 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 3 Feb 202208:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 202215:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 202218:06GMT
  • Thu 3 Feb 202223:06GMT
  • Sun 6 Feb 202212:06GMT

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