The Stream, March 17: How Electric Cars Contribute to Water Pollution in China

Mining
Mining activities for graphite, a material used in several electric car batteries popular in the United States, are leading to polluted rain and wastewater discharges in China, Bloomberg News reported. The pollution has prompted China to suspend operations and many of its graphite mines, even while world demand for the mineral is growing.

A gold mining boom in Nigeria following the global economic downturn in 2008 created a lead poisoning crisis in some communities, the Guardian reported. More than 400 children have died and thousands have been poisoned by contact with lead in the air and water.

Water Supply
Crimea, which recently voted to secede from Ukraine, still gets 70 percent of its water and 90 percent of its electricity from Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported. The lack of resources on the peninsula could lead to further resource grabs by Russia, which supports Crimea and has already taken a gas distribution plant in Ukraine.

Amid California’s historic drought, some cities are seeking ways to build self-sufficient water supplies instead of relying on imported supplies, NBC San Diego reported. That means turning to solutions from rain barrels to groundwater to recycled wastewater.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Codi Kozacek

A news correspondent for Circle of Blue based out of Hawaii. She writes The Stream, Circle of Blue’s daily digest of international water news trends. Her interests include food security, ecology and the Great Lakes.
Contact Codi Kozacek