Electric cars are not perfect, but they are a good start | Letters

The use of lithium in rechargeable vehicle batteries is problematic but this shouldn't derail attempts to decarbonise our environment, writes Jamie Adam, while Jim Grozier believes we need infrastructure that discourages car use

Oliver Balch's article on lithium extraction (The long read, 8 December) is an important reminder that any sort of economic boom for a certain material, unfortunately, tends to result in a rush to the bottom for environmental and ethical standards. Absolutely, pressure should be placed on manufacturers to clean up and shorten their supply chains.

However, given the urgency of decarbonising and cleaning up our air, it's also important to flag up double standards. Yes, some of the processes used in lithium extraction at the moment are environmentally destructive, and better solutions are needed. But extraction of oil and gas has been environmentally horrific for over a century, going backwards in standards with tar sands and fracking.