Argentina is one of the main producers of lithium – a metal that Germany also needs to build electric cars. But protests are being made in the country against the dismantling. Because the primarily foreign profits are at the expense of nature.
The protests began peacefully. Hundreds of people came. “A united people will never be defeated,” they cried. United in the fight against the expansion of lithium production in their region, against the threat of environmental degradation and the depletion of their natural resources.
Then the protests turned violent. Rocks and clubs were thrown, roads were blocked, vehicles burst into flames. The police used tear gas and batons. In the fierce street battle, 70 people were injured and dozens arrested. “We are defending our country,” said a desperate woman. “We do not want to be slaves. We have suffered for many years.”
governor wants right to demonstrate restrict
The protests in the northern Argentinian province of Jujuy are directed against the regional government. This wants to change the provincial constitution. Among other things, the right to demonstrate should be restricted. It is forbidden to block roads and it is forbidden to enter public buildings, Governor Gerardo Morales justifies the crackdown. “We abide by the law and the constitution. They shouldn’t set fire to eight cars and break the law in the name of the right to demonstrate,” Morales said.
Environmental activists and representatives of indigenous communities fear that the restriction of the right to demonstrate is intended to silence protests against the expansion of lithium production in their region. The province of Jujuy has notable deposits.
Activists: Lithium mining destroys nature
In Argentina, according to the 1994 constitution, the provinces are allowed to dispose of the mining resources. Foreign companies are negotiating with the respective provinces for the granting of licenses. Everything is going right here, insists Governor Morales. The governor promises that there will be no lithium production without prior thorough consultations and reports on environmental compatibility.
Environmental activists have serious doubts about this. Clemente Flores complains that the ecosystem de la Puna – also in northern Argentina – has been destroyed by the mining of lithium, despite many promises. “They believe in green energy. They destroy something to get something else. It’s a business model to say it’s green energy.”
Foreign investors benefit
Ernesto Picco from the University of Santiago del Estero calculates a business that yields huge profits. “In 2012 a ton of lithium sold for $4,000. At the end of last year it was trading for $78,000.” But things in Jujuy, like elsewhere in Argentina, have a catch.
Most of the rich profits from the lithium business go to foreign mining companies, says Picco: “According to Argentine law, the companies only leave three percent license fees. A full three percent of what is implemented goes to the province that owns the resources. ” In neighboring Chile, Picco recalls, the situation is very different. There, 40-45 percent of the profits go into public coffers.
Green energy at the expense of nature
Opponents warn that lithium mining is causing enormous environmental damage in many places. In one of the driest zones on earth – in the country triangle of Chile, Bolivia and Argentina – groundwater containing minerals is pumped into huge basins to extract lithium. Once the water has evaporated, lithium can be extracted from the residue. The alkali metal lithium is important for the production of high-performance batteries for electric cars.
Environmental lawyer Enrique Viale criticizes the traffic turnaround in Western countries from combustion engines to electric cars leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. “Our nature must not be sacrificed so that every American has a Tesla and Europeans replace their BMWs.” That overloads the planet, according to Viale. There is simply not enough lithium for all the ambitious plans. Viale calls for a rethink. “Our nature must not be sacrificed for the energy transition of the Global North.”
Argentina wants to increase lithium production tenfold
A dilemma for the north and for the south, says lawyer Viale, about which too little thought has been given. Especially not on a political level. While streams dry up in Latin America’s “Lithium Triangle”, rivers disappear and in many places the sparse vegetation withers, President Alberto Fernandez hopes to increase Argentina’s lithium production tenfold by 2030.
Only three countries currently produce more lithium than Argentina: Australia, Chile and China. International mining companies are digging in Argentina’s 38 mining projects and are happy about the constantly growing demand for the alkali metal and the rising prices for it.
Those affected in the mining regions will benefit in the short term from an improvement in infrastructure, from new schools and roads. In the long term, however, their homeland threatens to dry up and become hostile to life.