Much of the world's lithium is found in the Lithium Triangle in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Few expect the lithium producers to leave or reduce production. "No to lithium" reads a sign erected in Salinas Grandes by local indigenous communities, who depend on the salt flats for tourism and to harvest salt, in the northwest of Argentina. June 29, 2021. For the indigenous people of Argentina, this growing demand for lithium is likely to become a problem. Many grow quinoa, raise camelid livestock, and sell salt and flamingo eggs, traditional forms of income generation which, after hundreds of years, are now being compromised. Five hundred indigenous people camped on the land with signs: "No to lithium. Yet many indigenous communities affected by lithium extraction have raised concerns . A proposal to start mining lithium by Lithium Nevada Corporation - a subsidiary of Lithium Americas Corp. - was approved by the US Bureau of Land Management in January. Photo: Andean salt flats. This story by Maya L. Kapoor originally appeared in High Country News and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story. One autumn evening four years ago, Ivan Bender, a Hualapai man in his mid-50s . Opponents including the Sierra Club have raised concerns that the projects could harm sacred Indigenous lands and jeopardize fragile ecosystems and wildlife. Chile's indigenous communities have very few formal property rights to their ancestral . "One percent of the lithium in the world gets produced by the United States, so this mine right here will produce about 25% of America's use of lithium projected out over the next 30 years," said Dave Mendiola, who is the county manager in Humboldt County. Lithium may play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but a climate-friendly future cannot come at the expense of destroying this biodiverse region or violating Indigenous rights. The Indigenous Aymara community lives and works around the Salar. If the plan proceeds the mine could produce one-quarter of the world . In Nevada, tribal opposition to a proposed lithium mine is testing the White House's pledge to electrify America's transportation system and give more of a voice to indigenous people in federal lands. The communities depend on water for tending and raising sheep and llamas and for small farms. With lithium-ion batteries powering electric cars, lithium mining is likely to be a high-demand industry in the coming years. An ancient underground volcano left behind the mineral that is a major piece of renewable energy future. Indigenous people are left poor as tech world takes lithium from under their feet. The company seeking to develop the mine is called Lithium Nevada; it has an office in Reno and is a subsidiary of the Canada-based mining company Lithium Americas. A newly passed mining reform recognizes lithium as a national heritage and grants the state the exclusive right to explore, exploit and use the valuable metal. President Joe Biden has made addressing "climate change" one of his key priorities. In the Western U.S., companies are rushing to develop lithium mines, partly because of new extraction methods, but also because the federal government is fast-tracking lithium mining. While Thacker Pass is the first lithium mine to draw tribal opposition in the U.S., tribal nations and Indigenous groups have opposed at least two other mining projects — a copper and nickel . Further, lithium deposits are considered mining reserve areas and lithium is part of the national heritage. Mexico has nationalized its lithium industry. Now, exploratory work by Australian company Hawkstone Mining threatens those places, and with them, the religious practices of the Hualapai and other Indigenous nations. Indigenous Environmental Rights, Participation and Lithium Mining in Argentina and Bolivia: A Socio-Legal Analysis Helle Abelvik-Lawson A thesis submitted for the degree of PhD School of Law and Human Rights Centre and Interdisciplinary Studies Centre University of Essex Date of submission: May 2019 Five hundred indigenous people camped on the land with signs: "No to lithium. According to data from the US Geological Survey, Mexico has 1.7 million tons of lithium mining reserves. Lithium mining competes with the agricultural activities of local Indigenous communities and disrupts the autonomous functioning of people in territories . Expanding domestic lithium production would involve open pit mining or brine extraction, which involves pumping a mineral-rich brine to the surface and processing it. Salar de Atacama is rich in lithium, essential to electric cars and other low-carbon tech. But indigenous people are fighting its extraction, saying private interests are cashing in at the expense . Ash Ponders for Earthjustice. Minera Exar is a Canadian company extracting lithium from the region. Lithium mining encroaches on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Protests are erupting in Argentina's salt flats where lithium exploration has been advancing for several years. The mining is toxic, because large amounts of acid are used in the processing. Expanding domestic lithium production would involve open pit mining or brine extraction, which involves pumping a mineral-rich brine to the surface and processing it. Over the last year, several Latin American countries, including Chile, Peru and Mexico, have discussed various measures that, if adopted, could materially . Environmental and Indigenous advocacy groups called on the Biden administration last fall to propose changes to . For the indigenous people of Argentina, this growing demand for lithium is likely to become a problem. An Australian company is threatening the spring with a proposed lithium mining project. Low Wages and Crappy Jobs Gave Us the Labor "Shortage" Jacob . Since 2016 alone, global lithium mining has more than doubled and experts estimate that by 2030 more than 240,000 tons of lithium will be needed each year in the automotive industry. Lithium value chains are publicly controlled through the state-owned entity with the state guaranteeing rights related to lithium exploration, including living in a healthy environment and indigenous rights. The prospect of lithium mining worries the members of the Maricunga's indigenous Colla community of Pai-Ote. Indigenous groups called on the government to revoke SQM's environmental permit. Mexico has nationalized its lithium industry. The main concerns of aboriginal communities are the environmental consequences of mining, water contamination, the exploitation of land, and the absence of consultation prior to excavation. Planned Lithium Mine In Nevada Faces Pushback From Indigenous Tribes. Editor's Picks. Already, practically all affected local communities in the three countries - many of them indigenous - are calling for the industry to be regulated. This lithium boom is having an impact on a dozen mostly indigenous communities like Raúl's. Across the border in Argentina, Martina and Juan from San Jose de Miraflores worry about how lithium extraction in the Salinas Grandes salt flats and the Guayantayoc lagoon will affect their livelihoods. The adverse effects of lithium mining, especially the water loss, are impacting people too. Lithium mining has the potential to yield jobs and revenue to benefit communities affected by mining operations. Lithium mining is well established in Chile and Argentina. April 24, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch. by Maya L. Kapoor/High Country News June 10, 2021 June 10, 2021. The area is native to indigenous populations that survive off the land, keeping goats and llamas and farming quinoa to scrape out an existence on the arid mountainsides. there are at least 50 different lithium mining projects in various . However, intensive mining poses a major environmental risk for the region and the rights of indigenous communities. Yes, to water and life in our territories." As it turns out, along with sacred places including the hot springs, ceremony sites and ancestral burials, the valley also holds an enormous lithium deposit. Opponents including the Sierra Club have raised concerns that the projects could harm sacred Indigenous lands and jeopardize fragile ecosystems and wildlife. In both countries the local indigenous people have organized against the mining, but so far been unable to stop it. (Natural News) A government-backed push to mine lithium in western Arizona is compromising the ability of indigenous groups in the area to freely practice their religion.. Australian company Hawkstone Mining Ltd. has been conducting exploratory drilling in the Big Sandy River Valley under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). SQM , the world's No. Mining for lithium, at a cost to Indigenous religions In western Arizona, the push to mine minerals for electric vehicle batteries threatens the Hualapai Tribe's religious practices and echoes years of government overreach on Native lands. For six years, indigenous peoples have been fighting to prevent lithium mining in the Salinas Grandes salt flats, in Jujuy, Argentina. The mining company (USA Lithium Ltd., which has since been acquired by Hawkstone Mining Ltd.) hadn't told the Hualapai Tribe it was searching for lithium on nearby Bureau of Land Management lands . But their blades are constructed of complex composite materials such as fiberglass and balsa wood that are difficult to separate and process, presenting a recycling … Lithium is primarily extracted from ore mining and salt deserts which are also known as salars. Turbines are mostly made of steel, a widely recyclable material. A direct conflict between lithium mining and water availability thus becomes inevitable. Mexico Nationalizes Lithium Mining. Mining and processing of lithium, however, turns out to be far more environmentally harmful than what turned out to be the unfounded issues with fracking. The brine is mineral water, that is, just water. Worldwide demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons (317,517 metric tons) in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030. Water was a central issue in the appeal the Mesa de Pueblos Originarias de la Cuenca [Board of Indigenous Peoples of the Cuenca], made up of 33 communities, presented to . A newly passed mining reform recognizes lithium as a national heritage and grants the state the exclusive right to explore, exploit and use the valuable metal. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved an open-pit lithium ore mine in northern Nevada, despite protests by Native . Amid plans to mine lithium in rural Nevada, Indigenous, rural communities at center of the energy transition Environmental activists Will Falk, left, and Max Willbert, right, stand in front of the encampment on May 18, 2021. The High Cost of Lithium Mining for Indigenous Communities. Mexico Nationalizes Lithium Mining. In February 2019 they blocked the nearest highway, which runs to Chile, for nearly two weeks, halting exploration for lithium by a mining company. Apocalypse Soon, Lithium, Mining, Indigenous Rights, Indian Country, White House, Department Of The Interior. In this article we take a closer look at these central actors. Many grow quinoa, raise camelid livestock, and sell salt and flamingo eggs, traditional forms of income generation which, after hundreds of years, are now being compromised. Lithium is crucial for a world powered by renewable energy, but in places of extraction it is a source of deep ambivalence. The valley is home to several sacred sites on public . The Indigenous Aymara community lives and works around the Salar. Across the global lithium frontier, from Chile to the western United States and Portugal, environmental activists, indigenous communities and residents concerned about the threats to agricultural livelihoods are protesting over what they see as the greenwashing of destructive mining. The proposed open-pit mine will encompass 17,933 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, according to the EIS. That plan entails spending billions of dollars on new lithium mines. The lithium extraction process involves high usage of water and has significant environmental impacts. The extremely remote site is located in North-Central Nevada near the Oregon border. US lithium mining projects are not eco-friendly. As the United States turns to electric vehicles, solar and wind for its clean energy transition, the demand for lithium . As regards the social license, and according to the Argentine Constitution, [8] and the ILO Convention 169, [9] indigenous communities are entitled to be . Lithium Mining Is Leaving Chile's Indigenous Communities High and Dry (Literally) Español. Mr. Boric has said little about his lithium plans, except to propose the creation of a national lithium company . Lithium extraction is already causing harm to Indigenous communities in Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia where water is becoming increasingly scarce. Instead, Bitran says, mining companies could collaborate to secure water for their operations and invest in water mining technology that reduces brine use. Cholla Canyon Ranch caretaker Ivan Bender points out the boundaries of the Hualapai Tribe's property from one of the initial exploratory drilling sites surrounding the ranch. As the metal fuels the clean tech boom, companies race to mine the Atacama Region. Yes, to water and life in our territories." Lithium may play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but a climate-friendly future cannot come at the expense of destroying this biodiverse region or violating Indigenous rights. Chile's lithium ends up in ceramics, lubricants, and most often , batteries, but the metal first enters balance sheets as a super-salty liquid. By Luis Ortiz-Colon, a Public Citizen Intern. Old wind-turbine blades are getting a new lease on life—in cement. Beneath the ancestral land of the indigenous Atacamas lie lithium stockpiles worth billions of dollars which have attracted the attention of mining companies for years. Chilean indigenous people have not acquiesced to the economically destructive and culturally catastrophic operations of mining corporations and have reacted strongly to lithium imperialism. Lithium mine pits electric cars against sacred Indigenous land - video. New and potential lithium mining . By Maya L. Kapoor. New and potential lithium mining . Over the last year, several Latin American countries, including Chile, Peru and Mexico, have discussed various measures that, if adopted, could materially . Since 2016 alone, global lithium mining has more than doubled and experts estimate that by 2030 more than 240,000 tons of lithium will be needed each year in the automotive industry. September 2, 2021 Argentina does not have a specific legal framework applying to lithium projects or a particular agency that controls its execution. Mining for lithium, at a cost to Indigenous religions. A government-backed push to mine lithium in western Arizona is compromising the ability of indigenous groups in the area to freely practice their religion.. Australian company Hawkstone Mining Ltd. has been conducting exploratory drilling in the Big Sandy River Valley under the auspices of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). April 24, 2022 by Peoples Dispatch. In the last days of the Trump administration, the president approved a lithium mining operation at Thacker Pass, Nevada. The panorama of water injustice worsens when considering the impacts on the local people, mainly indigenous communities that are aware of lithium mining's impact on the Salar: "The most powerful environmental impact of lithium is the extraction of lithium brine. And while lithium mining is creating billionaires, the local people receive almost nothing. Today, for the natives in Potosí, lithium is the new silver. Across the global lithium frontier, from Chile to the western United States and Portugal, environmental activists, indigenous communities and residents concerned about the threats to agricultural . Mining projects there have met resistance from Indigenous communities that surround the salt flat, and from regulators who are trying to understand a one-of-a-kind water cycle. Lithium is prized for use in cell phones, computers, batteries and other technology devices -- but at a high environmental price for those impacted by hard-rock and open-pit mining used to extract it. At a Native massacre site, tribes brace for a new, lithium-driven rush. The valley is home to several sacred sites on public land, including . Located in Humboldt County, 245 miles north of Reno, is an area of the Nevada desert called Thatcher Pass. Worldwide demand for lithium was about 350,000 tons (317,517 metric tons) in 2020, but industry estimates project demand will be up to six times greater by 2030. One such company, a joint Canadian-Chilean venture called Minera Exar , has made an agreement with six indigenous communities, with expected sales of US$250 million a year. Lithium mining in indigenous communities. For six years, indigenous peoples have been fighting to prevent lithium mining in the Salinas Grandes salt flats, in Jujuy, Argentina. Tribal elder Jorigine Paya learned from her elders how she must always show respect for the ancestors whenever she's passing Ha 'Kamwe, a sacred hot spring on land of the Hualapai Tribe in Northern Arizona. According to data from the US Geological Survey, Mexico has 1.7 million tons of lithium mining reserves. Lithium value chains are publicly controlled through the state-owned entity with the state guaranteeing rights related to lithium exploration, including living in a healthy environment and indigenous rights. The demand for lithium has surged significantly due to the high demand for lithium-ion batteries used in portable devices and electric vehicles. Increasingly we hear about indigenous people protesting against lithium mining. Not least, lithium mining is divisive among Indigenous people of the area. But the mining also uses large amounts of water in places that already has little enough . As it turns out, along with sacred places including the hot springs, ceremony sites, and ancestral burials, the valley also holds an enormous lithium deposit. James Blair, an assistant professor of geography and anthropology at CalPoly Pomona, focuses his research on this area. This is because lithium mining requires enormous amounts of water—a resource already scarce throughout the arid landscape of Northern Argentina—and chemical leakage can cause pollution. In May 2016, dead fish were found in the waters of the Liqi River, where a toxic chemical leaked from the Ganzizhou Rongda Lithium mine. In the thin air of the salt flats here, nearly 13,000 feet above sea level, the indigenous Atacamas people face a . "Authorities from Chayanta, Norte Potosí say Bolivia's lithium is being ransacked from the indigenous people," the caption read. Now, exploratory work by Australian company Hawkstone Mining threatens those places, and with them, the religious practices of the Hualapai and other Indigenous nations. Lithium: Mining Key Fossil Fuel Alternative Threatens Indigenous Rights in Latin America Bolivia, Argentina and Chile have the world's largest reserves of lithium, a key resource for the energy transition from fossil fuels. However, intensive mining poses a major environmental risk for the region and the rights of indigenous communities. At stake: fragile . . Lithium is primarily used to create electric vehicle (EV) batteries because it can store lots of energy and can be repeatedly charged. Lithium Mining Poses Challenges, Opportunities. An anonymous reader quotes a report from Peoples Dispatch: Mexico has officially nationalized its lithium industry.On April 21, the bill, proposed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), that modified the mining law to give the state the exclusive right to explore, exploit and use the valuable metal entered into force. Cow and yak carcasses were also found floating . Lithium Mining in Argentina . Courtesy of. I recently had the opportunity to listen to Molly Wood's riveting two-part lithium mining episodes on her "How We Survive" podcast series and was surprised, yet again . Podcast sheds light on mining's impact on indigenous people, climate crisis. 2 lithium producer, cut a deal with Chile in 2018 that allowed it to ramp up output from the Atacama, a remote and fragile desert salt flat whose indigenous inhabitants fear . Further, lithium deposits are considered mining reserve areas and lithium is part of the national heritage. The mistreatment of indigenous communities caused by lithium mining is an international issue that has made its way to Nevada, US. The mining of lithium requires enormous volumes of water in an extremely dry area. While at face value mining in the Lithium Triangle may be a good economic opportunity to power a more environmentally friendly means of transportation, the The adverse effects of lithium mining, especially the water loss, are impacting people too. 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