Release Date: May 28, 2026
Clean energy needs lithium, but climate change could make it harder to mine

• U.S. is developing lithium mines to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains
• New study assessed whether U.S. subbasins can support water-intensive lithium mining
• Team combined water, climate and socioeconomic models to project water supply and demand between 2040 and 2060
• Under every scenario, most western subbasins struggled to meet existing water demands, let alone support additional lithium mining

EVANSTON, Ill. — The U.S. may not have enough water to support its lithium ambitions, a new Northwestern University study has found.

An essential ingredient for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other clean energy technologies, lithium is largely mined in Australia and Chile and then processed and refined in China. In recent years, however, the U.S. has pushed to develop its own lithium industry to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

In the new study, researchers found that most proposed U.S. lithium mines — many located in already parched areas — could face significant water shortages. These shortages could worsen as climate change reshapes water availability and as competition for resources intensifies among farms, households, industry and power generators.

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