Lithium-ion batteries power everything from consumer goods, electric vehicles, large storage batteries and they will be critical in achieving net zero.
While China currently dominates the global supply chain for lithium batteries, it relies on Australia for the raw material.
But there are other players in the lithium market especially from South America, in a region known as the Lithium Triangle, which has one of the largest reserves on the planet.
Gavin Mudd: Associate Professor Environmental Engineering RMIT
Peter Newman: Professor Sustainability Curtin University
Colleen Yates: Chief Exec Regional Development Australia in Perth
Ellen Phiddian: science communicator
Ed Conway: author of Material World: a substantial story of our past and future
Tom Hegen: photographer The Lithium Series
Marina Zhang: Australia China Relations Institute UTS