do benefits outweigh the costs 
while green technologies have the shared goal of preserving biodiversity and conserving the earth s resources there are few ways to do so without affecting the environment in other ways in some cases reducing environmental costs in one area means causing adverse impacts in another for example the batteries in electric vehicles rely on lithium an element that is often strip mined from south american rain forests 15 hydroelectric dams have low carbon emissions but high impacts on the salmon and other species that rely on those waterways 16 green energy devicessuch as solar panels and wind turbines require a host of rare minerals that can only be extracted with the use of toxic chemicals 1718this does not necessarily mean that green technology is a lost cause but it does require careful accounting to ensure that the benefits outweigh the costs obstacles to the adoption of green techthere are several obstacles to adopting green technology including the high initial costs developing and implementing sustainable technologies often requires significant investments that deter many businesses and consumers additionally the lack of financial incentives and subsidies can make it challenging for smaller entities to bear the upfront expenses slowing down the overall pace of green tech adoption another major hurdle is the insufficient infrastructure to support new green technologies many regions lack the necessary facilities this inadequate support network hampers the efficient use of green tech making it less attractive to potential adopters additionally existing policies and regulations often lag behind technological advances further complicating widespread implementation supply chain challenges have also been an obstacle including a shortage of transformers that are needed to connect clean energy to the grid 19