Deforestation impacts of Europe’s electric vehicle demand

Fern

Climate-neutrality by the year 2050 is at the heart of the European Green Deal. Across economic sectors and consumption areas, greenhouse gas emissions will need to decline to net-zero by the mid of this century. The shift from combustion engines to electric vehicles (EVs) is regarded as a key measure in the mobility sector to achieve the goals of the Green Deal and the Paris Agreement.

Compared to conventional cars, EVs will increase the demand for a range of metals and industrial minerals, in particular to produce batteries and electrical equipment. Mining will need to expand rapidly to satisfy the growing demand for both renewable energy technologies as well as electricity-driven mobility. However, already today, the extraction of mineral resources has become a significant driver of environmental change across a wide range of ecosystems with growing implications for land and water systems.

This study assesses the global forest loss related to the expansion of mining for materials in Europe’s growing electric vehicle fleet, and critically evaluates the implications for the ongoing transformation of the mobility system.