All mining is filled with "shady and evil" stuff. The difference is batteries can be recycled, so we will need almost no mines in the steady state. 99% of lead

All mining is filled with "shady and evil" stuff. The difference is batteries can be recycled, so we will need almost no mines in the steady state. 99% of lead-acid batteries are made from recycled batteries. That means we'll only need 1% of the cobalt mines in the future (assuming newer batteries need cobalt at all, which is unlikely). Oil and coal on the other hand will have to be mined or drilled forever because it isn't recyclable. The "shady and evil" stuff in the mining there will go on and on until the oil and coal run out. If you repeat the "batteries need toxic mines" meme without talking about oil spills, methane leaks, and coal mine pollution, you're a useful idiot for the fossil fuel companies. Or making money off them in some way.