Earlier this year, Chinese EV giant BYD Co. won a government contract to mine lithium in Salar de Atacama, Chile – a California-sized chunk of terrain that holds 55 percent of the world’s known deposits of lithium. But before the company could tap into that resource, indigenous residents took to the streets and demanded the tender to be canceled over concerns about the impact on local water supplies.
“They want to produce more lithium, but we’re the ones who pay the price,” said Lady Sandón, president of an Atacameño indigenous community that filed a lawsuit.
In June, the Chilean Supreme Court threw out the award, saying the government failed to consult with indigenous people first.
The number of electric cars on the world’s roads by the end of 2021 was about 16.5 million, triple the amount in 2018. Analysts now worry that South America could become a major bottleneck for growth in electric vehicles as the lithium supply needed for the batteries dwindles.
“All the major car makers are completely on board with electric vehicles now, but the lithium may just not be enough,” said Brian Jaskula, a lithium expert at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Chilean President Gabriel Boric’s leftist government plans to create a
state lithium company. He denounced past privatizations of raw
commodities. So a new constitution, if approved in a September
referendum, would strengthen environmental rules and indigenous rights
over mining....<<<Read More>>>...
