There is no "do A or do nothing at all". It's always "do A or do B". So there is always an opportunity cost.

Do you think people living near coal mines or fracking sites or whatever have it any better?

Do you think that if we didn't mine lithium we'd all become noble savages* again and live in peace with nature?

The objective is to minimize harm, choose the lesser of two evils.

* This is a myth, by the way.