Climate Threat Global Challenges

Experts Warn: Solar Panels Could Become India's Waste Crisis

India's rapid solar energy boom is being hailed as a climate success – but risks creating a new environmental problem. Without a plan for how to dispose of used solar panels, large amounts of waste await in the coming decades, reports the BBC.

A study estimates that waste from solar panels could amount to over 11 million tons by 2047. Experts are now urging India to act quickly and build a recycling system, writes the British public service company.

In just over ten years, India has become the world's third largest producer of solar energy. The panels have a lifespan of around 25 years – but India currently has no plan or budget for what will happen to them after that.

Green transition delayed as US hoards minerals for the weapons industry

Critical minerals needed in the green energy transition are instead being piled up by the US to be used in future weapons. This is reported by Mother Jones, which writes that the effect is delayed measures to combat global warming.

Lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earth metals that could have been used in solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and batteries are instead being bought up for future use in precision weapons and military communications systems, according to a report from the Transition Security Project referenced in The Guardian.

In other parts of the world, a growing military industry is also taking resources away from the fight against the climate crisis, according to the report.