Nickel is a key element of electric vehicles - but mining it takes an environmental toll
Greg Dipple wants to turn the waste from nickel mines into large-scale carbon sinks. The idea, which he has developed over two decades, would help reduce the environmental impact of mining for metals that are highly sought after for electric vehicle batteries. "We can see a pathway towards nickel mining in the future where it produces a net positive environmental benefit from the context of greenhouse gases," said Dipple, a professor at the University of British Columbia and founder of Carbin Minerals, an environmental services company. Dipple's approach would use the tailings - pulverized rock byproduct that comes from extracting metals and minerals from ore - as a giant sponge for carbon in the atmosphere.