Clean energy often has dirty ethics based on human rights abuses

Aerial view of brine ponds and processing areas of the SQM lithium mine in the Atacama Desert, Calama, Chile. Photo: Getty

For years the globe has been “addicted to oil”. Moving away from oil has many good aspects, but quickly shifting from one addiction to another has a dark side.

Human rights abuses related to the world’s growing addiction to electricity and the replacement of ‘big oil’ with ‘big electricity’ are gathering apace.