Making fewer lithium-ion batteries could avoid more emissions than making each battery cleaner, according to a University of Melbourne-led study published in One Earth . Battery production accounts for only about 0.18 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions today, but the researchers estimate that share could grow tenfold or more by 2050.

The team modeled the global supply chain for batteries used in electric cars, vans, buses, trucks and grid storage from 2024 to 2050, covering material production, component production, battery manufacturing and end-of-life treatment. Without new measures, they project cumulative emissions of 19 billion to 23 billion tons of CO 2 -equivalent over that period. Combining supply- and demand-side strategies brings the total down to 9 billion to 12 billion tons, Ars Technica reported on Oct. 19.

Cleaner production gets about a third of the way

Supply-chain measures include switching battery chemistries, more efficient manufacturing, greener factories and more recycling.…