To get to net zero emissions by 2050, the world needs sustainable energy solutions—including two billion electric vehicles on our roads. However, just one Tesla requires eight kilograms of lithium for its batteries.

That’s a lot of lithium mining to reach our goal—mining that’s depleting vital water supplies as we speak. Given the metal is also needed for batteries in laptops, mobile phones, planes, trains and bikes, is there even enough lithium on Earth? Well, perhaps not in the ground.

But that’s not our only solution. ‘Urban mining’ is the process of extracting resources from electronic waste. According to University of Adelaide researchers, our path forward lies in utilising these stockpiles.