XPost: rec.food.cooking, aus.politics   
   From: flwp@in.valid   
      
   On Sun, 08 Feb 2026 15:39:20 +1100   
   Bruce  wrote:   
      
   > On 8 Feb 2026 04:11:16 GMT, Leonard Blaisdell   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   > >On 2026-02-07, Bruce  wrote:   
   > >   
   > >> In many countries "gas" is so expensive because of government   
   > >> taxes. Governments want to reduce car use and CO2 emissions. Trump   
   > >> only wants to increase those because he hates the environment, so   
   > >> this reasoning might not apply to the US.   
   > >   
   > >No, Bruce! Governments tax gas because *they* want money and need   
   > >lame excuses to justify their greed. Dimmer people buy into their   
   > >nonsense and support the grift and graft.   
   > >The rest of us just put up with it.   
   >   
   > Yes, politicians want as much play money as they can get their hands   
   > on.   
      
   FIAT "money" is just company store debt script.   
      
   They truly crave its underlying peg - POWER!   
      
   > But at the same time it's good for the environment to chase people   
   > towards electric cars and less use of fossil fuels.   
      
      
   You have no clue what an environmental disaster lithium is then.   
      
   Unamazing, but given your claims to vote green - just one more   
   confirmed hypocrisy.   
      
      
   AI Overview   
   The assertion that lithium production has significant, often disastrous,   
   environmental impacts is widely supported by research. The extent of the   
   damage varies depending on the extraction method used (hard rock mining versus   
   brine extraction), the    
   specific location, and the regulatory environment.   
   Key environmental impacts associated with traditional lithium production   
   methods include:   
   Water Depletion and Contamination The most significant concern, particularly   
   in arid regions like the "Lithium Triangle" (Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia),   
   is the intensive use of water. Brine extraction involves pumping vast amounts   
   of lithium-rich    
   saltwater into large evaporation ponds, a process that consumes millions of   
   liters of water per ton of lithium and depletes local groundwater supplies,   
   impacting farming and communities. The chemicals used can also contaminate   
   remaining water sources.   
   Land Degradation and Habitat Loss Both hard rock (open-pit) mining and large   
   evaporation ponds require clearing vast tracts of land, leading to   
   deforestation, soil erosion, and the destruction of critical habitats. This   
   loss of biodiversity affects    
   vulnerable ecosystems and species, such as the flamingo populations in the   
   Atacama Desert.   
   Carbon Emissions While lithium is essential for the transition to cleaner   
   energy, traditional extraction methods are energy-intensive, often relying on   
   fossil fuels for high-temperature processing and transportation. Hard rock   
   mining is significantly    
   more carbon-intensive than brine extraction. The manufacturing of a single   
   electric vehicle battery can have a substantial initial carbon footprint,   
   though the EV's operational emissions are much lower than a gasoline car's.   
   Waste Generation and Pollution Mining operations generate significant   
   waste, including tailings (crushed rock waste) and mineral salts, which   
   can leach harmful chemicals into the environment. Dust and particulate   
   matter released during mining and processing can also cause air   
   pollution and respiratory health problems in nearby communities.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)