https://amp.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3268411/its-tim...

https://amp.scmp.com/opinion/asia-o...-lithium-ion-batteries-sustainability-problem

It’s time Asia reckoned with lithium-ion batteries’ sustainability problem

• Asia can lead the green energy race and improve safety standards by phasing out lithium-ion batteries in favour of sustainable alternatives
• 
  The recent tragic explosion at a lithium battery manufacturing facility in South Korea that killed 22 people should be a wake-up call to the world.
  
  The Aricell factory housed an estimated 35,000 battery cells on its second floor, where they were inspected and packed. More batteries were stored elsewhere. While the cause of the explosion is unclear, lithium-ion batteries’ flammable properties are well known.
  
  Lithium-ion batteries can produce dangerous levels of heat, short circuit easily and can cause fires that are hard to extinguish. That’s why aviation authorities across the world have banned them being shipped as cargo or in checked-in baggage aboard passenger flights.
  
  Typically used in electric vehicles (EVs), such batteries have been hailed as a way to steer us towards a petrol-free future. Many even consider the energy they provide green. That’s ironic, because investigations have revealed that lithium-ion batteries have been linked to environmental degradation as well as human rights abuses……..