Tesla, Austin, and the Environment--Chung-Wing Ko, Kalyann Palacios, Sophia Luongo
Tesla’s Construction and Mission
After months of deliberation and conversations with governors across the country, Tesla made the decision to build its newest factory in Austin, Texas. Construction is well underway for what will be a billion-dollar, 2,000-acre facility along the banks of the Colorado River.
We are moving towards a future where car electrification is the norm. This is good news for those concerned about the environmental footprint of gas-powered vehicles because electric cars emit comparatively less CO2 regardless of the electric grid’s energy composition.
Tesla’s brand hinges on their ambition to provide technologically advanced and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional vehicles. However, the reality of their commitment to sustainability is questionable given their past violations of federal environmental protocol.
Community Impact
The community impact of Tesla cannot be overstated. The facility promises to bring thousands of much-needed jobs and school programs to the East Austin area, and many community members are excited.
However, when major corporations come into communities of lower-socioeconomic status the result can be higher property taxes and the possibility that the jobs they promise will go to people outside the community, leaving people near the factory with higher taxes and no additional income to offset them.
Another concern was brought to our attention by Susana Almanza, director of PODER. Although electric vehicles are Tesla’s answer to getting away from fossil fuels, they are too expensive for most, creating a scenario in which those without them are looked down upon because they drive “dirty” gas-powered vehicles. This forces us to question what it means to have private, for-profit, companies leading the way to a sustainable future.
Lithium Mining
The main component of the batteries inside of electric vehicles is lithium, which has been extracted without permission from Indigenous communities that live in mining areas.
The top five lithium producing companies in the world all have human rights abuse allegations made against them, and this trend is not unique to lithium. Around 88% of all extractive mineral companies have allegations of violating human rights. As the demand for these extractive minerals accelerates, it is crucial that we do not sacrifice ethics in the name of sustainability.
Looking Ahead
The existential threat of climate change challenges us to redesign our systems of consumption and production. Tesla promises some of those changes, but how a sustainable future is achieved is just as important as if it is achieved at all. It is essential that those in marginalized communities, who often feel the impacts of climate change and resource consumption most drastically, have the power and voice to participate in these conversations.
The construction in East Austin brings economic potential for the area and increased opportunity for Tesla to revolutionize the car industry. Even though the electrification of vehicles can seem like unquestionable environmental progress, we hope this podcast offers additional perspectives through which listeners may be challenged to think more broadly about companies such as Tesla and the future of energy on this planet.
Bibliography
Abelvik-Lawson, H. (2019, May). Indigenous Environmental Rights, Participation and Lithium Mining in Argentina and Bolivia: A Socio-Legal Analysis. [School of Law and Human Rights Centre and Interdisciplinary Studies Centre, University of Essex]. University of Essex Research Repository.
Blumber, A. & Johnson, A.E. (2020, November 13). Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate. In How to Save a Planet.
Calvino, S. (2019, April). U.S. EPA settles with Tesla over hazardous waste violations at Fremont, Calif., facility. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
CNBC Television. (2020, July 24). Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Austin plant will be an ecological paradise [VIDEO]. Youtube.
CNBC. (2020, July). TECH Elon Musk chose ‘freedoms’ Texas offers for new Tesla factory, says state’s GOP governor [VIDEO].CNBC.
Flager, J. (2020, July). Austin has little authority over Tesla site, but City Council could exert some environmental control. Community Impact Newspaper.
Hineman, B. (2020, October). Fact check: Electric vehicles emit fewer emissions and are better for the environment. USA Today.
2 Horvath, E. and Medina, A.R. (2019, April). ‘Indigenous people’s livelihoods at risk in scramble for lithium, the new white gold’. Reuters Events.
Human Rights in the Mineral Supply Chains of Electric Vehicles. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved from
Jamasmie, C. (2019, September). Demand for battery metals, renewables fuelling rights violations — report. Mining.com.
Lambert, F. (2020, June). Tesla secures new cobalt deal as it phases out the controversial mineral. Electrek.
Marchegiani, P & Gomez, L. (2019, June). Lithium mine fails to respect communities’ rights in Argentina. Diàlogo Chino.
Martin, Amy. (No date). Just Decide. In Threshold.
Marvin Harper. (2017, January 9). Elon Musk explains Tesla’s mission [VIDEO]. Youtube.
McKenna, B. (2019, April). Who Are Tesla's Lithium Suppliers? The Motley Fool.
Mehta, A. (2018, April). Electric car makers in drive to remove human rights stain from cobalt. Reuters Events.
Sechler, B. (2020, September). Tesla’s Austin site plan outlines footprint for huge factory. Austin 3 American Statesman.
Stumpf, R. (2020, August). Construction for Tesla’s Massive Gigafactory is Well Underway. The Drive.
Szal, A. (2017, April). Evacuation, But No Serious Injuries, After Spill At Tesla 'Gigafactory'. Manufacturing.net.
Tsing, Anna. (2016). Natural Resources and Capitalist Frontiers. Economic & Political Weekly vol 38, no. 48, 5100-5106.
(2019, December). Amnesty's Five Year Human Rights Challenge: Creating an Ethical Battery. Amnesty International.
(2019). Del Valle High School. The Texas Tribune.
(2019). Tesla Impact Report. Tesla.
(2020, March). Argentina: NGO report on lithium extraction highlights negative impacts on local Jujuy indigenous peoples’ access to water and land. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.
(2020, June). Urgent need to tackle impact of likely electric car battery production boom. Modern Diplomacy.
(2020, July). Austin City Council Meeting. austintexas.gov.
(2020, August). Austin Water Oversight Committee. Austintexas.gov.
(2020). Water Forward. Austintexas.gov.
After months of deliberation and conversations with governors across the country, Tesla made the decision to build its newest factory in Austin, Texas. Construction is well underway for what will be a billion-dollar, 2,000-acre facility along the banks of the Colorado River.
We are moving towards a future where car electrification is the norm. This is good news for those concerned about the environmental footprint of gas-powered vehicles because electric cars emit comparatively less CO2 regardless of the electric grid’s energy composition.
Tesla’s brand hinges on their ambition to provide technologically advanced and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional vehicles. However, the reality of their commitment to sustainability is questionable given their past violations of federal environmental protocol.
Community Impact
The community impact of Tesla cannot be overstated. The facility promises to bring thousands of much-needed jobs and school programs to the East Austin area, and many community members are excited.
However, when major corporations come into communities of lower-socioeconomic status the result can be higher property taxes and the possibility that the jobs they promise will go to people outside the community, leaving people near the factory with higher taxes and no additional income to offset them.
Another concern was brought to our attention by Susana Almanza, director of PODER. Although electric vehicles are Tesla’s answer to getting away from fossil fuels, they are too expensive for most, creating a scenario in which those without them are looked down upon because they drive “dirty” gas-powered vehicles. This forces us to question what it means to have private, for-profit, companies leading the way to a sustainable future.
Lithium Mining
The main component of the batteries inside of electric vehicles is lithium, which has been extracted without permission from Indigenous communities that live in mining areas.
The top five lithium producing companies in the world all have human rights abuse allegations made against them, and this trend is not unique to lithium. Around 88% of all extractive mineral companies have allegations of violating human rights. As the demand for these extractive minerals accelerates, it is crucial that we do not sacrifice ethics in the name of sustainability.
Looking Ahead
The existential threat of climate change challenges us to redesign our systems of consumption and production. Tesla promises some of those changes, but how a sustainable future is achieved is just as important as if it is achieved at all. It is essential that those in marginalized communities, who often feel the impacts of climate change and resource consumption most drastically, have the power and voice to participate in these conversations.
The construction in East Austin brings economic potential for the area and increased opportunity for Tesla to revolutionize the car industry. Even though the electrification of vehicles can seem like unquestionable environmental progress, we hope this podcast offers additional perspectives through which listeners may be challenged to think more broadly about companies such as Tesla and the future of energy on this planet.
Bibliography
Abelvik-Lawson, H. (2019, May). Indigenous Environmental Rights, Participation and Lithium Mining in Argentina and Bolivia: A Socio-Legal Analysis. [School of Law and Human Rights Centre and Interdisciplinary Studies Centre, University of Essex]. University of Essex Research Repository.
Blumber, A. & Johnson, A.E. (2020, November 13). Are Electric Cars Really Better for the Climate. In How to Save a Planet.
Calvino, S. (2019, April). U.S. EPA settles with Tesla over hazardous waste violations at Fremont, Calif., facility. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
CNBC Television. (2020, July 24). Tesla CEO Elon Musk: Austin plant will be an ecological paradise [VIDEO]. Youtube.
CNBC. (2020, July). TECH Elon Musk chose ‘freedoms’ Texas offers for new Tesla factory, says state’s GOP governor [VIDEO].CNBC.
Flager, J. (2020, July). Austin has little authority over Tesla site, but City Council could exert some environmental control. Community Impact Newspaper.
Hineman, B. (2020, October). Fact check: Electric vehicles emit fewer emissions and are better for the environment. USA Today.
2 Horvath, E. and Medina, A.R. (2019, April). ‘Indigenous people’s livelihoods at risk in scramble for lithium, the new white gold’. Reuters Events.
Human Rights in the Mineral Supply Chains of Electric Vehicles. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre. Retrieved from
Jamasmie, C. (2019, September). Demand for battery metals, renewables fuelling rights violations — report. Mining.com.
Lambert, F. (2020, June). Tesla secures new cobalt deal as it phases out the controversial mineral. Electrek.
Marchegiani, P & Gomez, L. (2019, June). Lithium mine fails to respect communities’ rights in Argentina. Diàlogo Chino.
Martin, Amy. (No date). Just Decide. In Threshold.
Marvin Harper. (2017, January 9). Elon Musk explains Tesla’s mission [VIDEO]. Youtube.
McKenna, B. (2019, April). Who Are Tesla's Lithium Suppliers? The Motley Fool.
Mehta, A. (2018, April). Electric car makers in drive to remove human rights stain from cobalt. Reuters Events.
Sechler, B. (2020, September). Tesla’s Austin site plan outlines footprint for huge factory. Austin 3 American Statesman.
Stumpf, R. (2020, August). Construction for Tesla’s Massive Gigafactory is Well Underway. The Drive.
Szal, A. (2017, April). Evacuation, But No Serious Injuries, After Spill At Tesla 'Gigafactory'. Manufacturing.net.
Tsing, Anna. (2016). Natural Resources and Capitalist Frontiers. Economic & Political Weekly vol 38, no. 48, 5100-5106.
(2019, December). Amnesty's Five Year Human Rights Challenge: Creating an Ethical Battery. Amnesty International.
(2019). Del Valle High School. The Texas Tribune.
(2019). Tesla Impact Report. Tesla.
(2020, March). Argentina: NGO report on lithium extraction highlights negative impacts on local Jujuy indigenous peoples’ access to water and land. Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.
(2020, June). Urgent need to tackle impact of likely electric car battery production boom. Modern Diplomacy.
(2020, July). Austin City Council Meeting. austintexas.gov.
(2020, August). Austin Water Oversight Committee. Austintexas.gov.
(2020). Water Forward. Austintexas.gov.
