Proponents of hybrid and electric cars say they are a greener alternative to petrol and diesel vehicles. But the industry’s supply chains could be “riddled by human rights and environmental abuses,” going by newly-published research into the mining of nickel, a key component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. “Nickel mining in Indonesia is driving deforestation and environmental harm,” according to the London-based Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), which warned of “threats to ancestral homes and livelihoods” faced by “small island communities” in parts of the vast archipelago. …