Addressing societal needs in batteries research: lnsights from the social sciences and humanities task force

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F70883521%3A28610%2F25%3A63592158" target="_blank" >RIV/70883521:28610/25:63592158 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Addressing societal needs in batteries research: lnsights from the social sciences and humanities task force

Original language description

Advancing battery technologies is vital for sustainable development, underpinning transport electrification, renewable energy integration, and decarbonization. However, the life cycle of batteries poses challenges due to the exploitation of critical raw materials like cobalt and lithium, leading to environmental degradation, health risks, and social inequities, particularly in resource-rich countries. The battery supply chain also faces significant ethical issues, including child labour, gender discrimination, and geopolitical inequalities. Despite these hurdles, opportunities exist to develop a circular battery value cha in, reduce energy poverty, and enhance public trust through transdisciplinary collaboration and robust regulatory frameworks. The Batteries Europe Task Force on Social Sciences and Humanities advocates for integrating societal demands into battery research &amp; innovation to address these issues. By developing methods like Social Life Cycle Assessment with wider work on value-sensitive design, energy justice and responsible research and innovation, a deeper understanding of how battery designs can be fairer - from extraction to recycling - is possible. This promotes participatory approaches with stakeholders to enable more equitable and inclusive policies and design. The Task Force envisions a sustainable, human-centric battery ecosystem, addressing challenges to social acceptance of batteries, aligning innovation with societal well-being, environmental conservation, and economic equity, and urging stakeholders to embed the social demands at every stage of the energy transition process.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50902 - Social sciences, interdisciplinary

Project

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Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů