Argentina’s ‘white gold’: Will its lithium boom end badly?
How a battle over mineral resources in Argentina could determine the fight against global warming.
Argentina is home to huge reserves of lithium, a light metal used in electric batteries that is likely to be vital for reducing our reliance on planet-warming fossil fuels.
But those reserves lie beneath the vast Andean salt plains – a unique ecosystem stretching between Argentina, Bolivia and Chile that Indigenous communities are desperate to protect from a mining boom.
They say lithium production sucks up scarce groundwater and would be environmentally catastrophic for this stunning but arid region.
So, is it possible to extract the metal – and fight climate change – without causing significant ecological damage? People and Power investigates.
Published On 16 Mar 2023