By: Juliet Radich
Introduction
As the effects of global warming are becoming more prevalent, the rush to meet the net zero emissions goal is put into the center of global focus, according to Dr. Joshua Matanzima (2024), a research officer for Social Responsibility in Mining at the University of Queensland. The result of this goal, stated by Eden Foli (2020), program manager for the uYilo e-Mobility Program in South Africa, is the increased demand for electric vehicles and, consequently, lithium-ion batteries. Although electric vehicles improve air quality by eliminating the use of fossil fuels and internal combustion engines, mining has significant environmental impacts. According to Boafo et al. (2024), a group of esteemed environmental science and resource management researchers at leading universities, Africa is home to critical mineral resources. It is the focus of Western countries, leading to the rushed extraction of these minerals, resulting in the loss of biodiversity, water shortages, air pollution, and the destruction of sensitive ecosystems. Zimbabwe, a key country involved in mining energy transition materials (ETMs), economically benefits from the multi-billion-dollar resource that is lithium, forcing it to be a key player in the race to extract ETMs (Matanzima, 2024). Despite its contribution to the economy and the interests of Western countries, these accelerated lithium mining practices in Zimbabwe have detrimental environmental and ecological impacts.
Exporting Lithium to Importing Countries
Until 2022, the situation of lithium mining in Zimbabwe involved the extraction of raw lithium through unconventional environmental practices, then exporting the lithium in its original state instead of exporting it as a value-added product (Foli, 2020). However, due to lithium's economic vitality, the government banned the exportation of raw lithium (Matanzima, 2024). It is suggested by Foli (2020) that these newly imposed restrictions have widespread economic benefits since value-added lithium moves the resource farther along the value chain and brings in more revenue. Although the economic benefit is noteworthy, the export ban only intensifies the environmental issues. According to Mandy Meng Fang (2024), Assistant Professor of Energy and International Environmental Law at the City University of Hong Kong, processing methods like smelting, which is used to increase the value of raw lithium, generate hazardous waste and air pollution. In an attempt to reduce production costs, other environmentally hazardous methods are employed by Zimbabwean miners, who are monopolistic mineral buyers who are pressured to sell their products below market rate. Cutting corners is also highlighted through reports of environmental degradation by dominating countries such as China, ultimately leading to Zimbabwe's relaxed regulations in hopes of attracting interest, directly impacting ecological challenges (Fang, 2024).
Water and Air Pollution
This accelerated extraction of lithium places the unavoidable issue of water contamination and loss at the forefront of environmental and social importance (Matanzima, 2024). According to Cornelia Lichner (2020), an editor for a magazine focused on solar energy markets and industries, certain regions have fallen victim to underground or surface water scarcity due to the large quantities of water needed for lithium extraction. The Alternative Information and Development Centre (2025), a research organization specializing in environmental justice and sustainable development, supports this fact by reporting that communities in southeastern Zimbabwe are resisting lithium mining, citing severe water contamination and depletion of local water sources.
This defilement of water and soil is primarily caused by a mining method known as drilling and blasting, which results in openly exposed rock and the formation of harmful dust that can affect nearby farming communities and can increase respiratory risks of humans and fauna if it reaches water sources (Boafo et al., 2024). A notable example is the Buhera district, a water-stressed region in southeastern Zimbabwe where agriculture-dependent livelihoods rely on water access, according to Calistar Dzenga and Tatenda Zengeni (n.d.), two researchers at the Competition and Tariff Commission, an organization focused on economic competition and trade in Zimbabwe. Growing crops is difficult, if not impossible, when dealing with water contamination, resulting in the loss of income and food insecurity. Water is the key to preventing these issues, leading to increased competition and tensions between communities and mining companies.
The drilling and blasting method also emits toxic fumes into the surroundings, resulting in open pits that deform the landscape, disrupt natural groundwater flows, and endanger the surrounding life. This mining technique uses heavy equipment, which releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere if fossil fuels run the machinery (Boafo et al., 2024).
The Loss of Biodiversity and Ecosystems
The use of explosives in the drill and blast process and the vibrations that damage water and air quality compromise endangered species, disrupt functioning biomes and create a severe physical disturbance that ultimately dislocates wildlife. Furthermore, groundwater-dependent ecosystems' quality is at risk because of discarded mined rock placed in storage facilities, generating saline drainage, releasing metalloids into the environment, and leeching residual lithium into water sources. The consumption of lithium is highly hazardous, and if consumed by plants, humans, or animals, osmotic imbalance and death could result (Boafo et al., 2024). Tatenda Chitagu (2024), an award-winning Zimbabwean journalist and Zimbabwean correspondent for the Washington Post, exemplified this statement by citing a resident from the Marinda village in Zimbabwe: "We survive on selling farming produce water from the dam, as well as fishing…However, the mine polluted the dam, and our crops were affected. It also led to the death of fish and aquatic life…Some of the villagers' cattle who drink from the dam were also affected." (para. 20). Although the speedy extraction of lithium is necessary to keep up with world economic powers, its ecological consequences are detrimental to both the fauna and the surrounding communities that rely on animals for survival.
Lithium's mining locations host some of the world's most biodiverse flora and fauna, some species rare and near extinction. Mining in rainforests–the home of these plants and animals–poses dangers to biodiversity and ecosystems, turning once-thriving biomes into barren landscapes due to runoff and severe weather. Clearing the oxygen-rich habitats of these species–labeled "oxygen factories"—lithium exponentially increases the threat to biodiversity and environmental health (Boafo et al., 2024).
Conclusion
In the face of climate change, the push to transition to electric vehicles has become a more prevalent issue, leading to world pressure on lithium-producing countries to mine lithium rapidly. The rush for lithium and similar ETMs has only exacerbated the already environmentally hazardous job of lithium mining, resulting in water shortages, air pollution, loss of biodiversity, and harm to sensitive ecosystems. According to the research conducted by Kolte et al. (2025), a group of distinguished researchers affiliated with leading universities in finance and economics, a possible solution is to embrace green practices, such as adopting electric and hydrogen underground mining vehicles, which would simultaneously lessen the environmental damage of mining–decreasing carbon emissions and contributing to the health and well-being of populations in the immediate area–and decrease transportation expenses in the long run. Fang (2024) contributes by suggesting that by enforcing environmental laws, adhering to accepted practices, and improving the country's environmental protection standards in the face of international pressures, the environmental impact of mining operations would be minimized. However, implementing sustainable practices in Zimbabwe may be difficult since weak governance often restricts the implementation of global standards, as proved by the lack of enforcement of environmental regulations in Zimbabwean mining practices (Kolte et al., 2025). Despite this limitation, any effort to apply green practices would further the environmental sustainability of Zimbabwe's mining industry, promoting a healthier environment for surrounding ecosystems and communities. It is yet to be decided if Zimbabwe will take action to preserve the environment and work to reduce the ever-growing effects of climate change.
References
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