Accents of Europe

The contradictions of the energy transition

Audio 7:30 p.m.

The electric car is as green as it claims?

Getty Images / Gregor Schuster

By: Juliette Rengeval Follow

2 mins

The electric car market experienced spectacular growth in Europe last year (2021): 1.2 million 100% electric cars and 1 million plug-in hybrids were sold.

But to make electric car batteries, you need rare earths, such as lithium, and the extraction of this mineral also has a significant human and ecological cost.

(Replay)

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In

, the European car giant, the move to electric motors is worrying professionals and politicians.

Up to a third of the 613,000 jobs directly or indirectly linked to the production of thermal engine cars could disappear by 2030. A note report corresponding to Berlin,

To succeed in the digital revolution and build electric motors or mobile phones, you need rare earths.

It has become a real geostrategic and ecological issue. 

, author of

, published by Les Liens Qui Libérant editions.

In the race for rare earths at the heart of the energy transition: the Rio Tinto lithium mine project in

.

The multinational would like to operate one of the largest lithium sites in the world, supposed to supply Europe with the batteries for one million electric cars a year.

A report by our correspondent,

, in the Jadar Valley.

The Balkans, undermined by massive emigration

Among the main reasons for this emigration, sluggish economic growth and a lack of investment.

But behind this there are also political and security tensions.

Lola's testimony.

She is 43 years old and lived in

.

But 7 years ago, she decided to move to Germany with her husband and two young children.

Comments collected by

In one word: “Kolonya”

Kolonya

is the cologne with which any guest in a

house sees their hands sprinkled by the master or mistress of the house, barely seated in an armchair.

With the coronavirus pandemic, it has returned to all homes.

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