Except that this time there are three important differences. The first is that this time around we are moving down the energy ladder rather than up it. Lithium-ion batteries are significantly less energy-dense than oil, gas or even coal. The second is that the materials we are mining are not being burned; their power is not being vaporised but installed inside batteries, which could, in theory at least, be recycled. The third is that the countries doing the extraction are no longer so sure that they want to do it any more. Shortly after my conversation with Cristina, the new Chilean draft
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