Companies are starting to drill for lithium at the Salton Sea in Southern California, but it may not be enough to supply the growing demand for the mineral, which is crucial for the development of “green energy.” “The global battery arms race has become a global battery supply chain race,” Simon Moores, CEO of Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a research organization specializing in the lithium industry, said on Twitter on March 30. The world needs about 40 new lithium mines over the next 10 years to keep up with demand for the batteries that power electric vehicles, electronics, and wind and solar energy sources, according to Moores. “Right now lithium demand is growing at three times the speed of lithium supply,” Moores tweeted. “That’s a big problem that needs to be solved.” New climate goals set by the Paris Climate Accord and last year’s Glasgow Climate Conference have compounded the need …