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Project

Impacts of the development of the lithium industry in Indigenous territories of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile
 

Argentina
Bolivia
South America
Project ID
110326
Total Funding
CAD 950,000.00
IDRC Officer
Markus Gottsbacher
Project Status
Active
Duration
36 months

Programs and partnerships

Lead institution(s)

Summary

The global demand for lithium is constantly growing due to the central role that it is expected to play in the energy transition from fossil-based energy sources to renewable sources. It is estimated that this demand will increase more than tenfold in the next 20 years.Read more

The global demand for lithium is constantly growing due to the central role that it is expected to play in the energy transition from fossil-based energy sources to renewable sources. It is estimated that this demand will increase more than tenfold in the next 20 years. Argentina, Bolivia and Chile make up the so-called Lithium Triangle, which comprises 53% of the world's lithium resources and 46% of its reserves. The ancestral territories of more than 200 Indigenous communities in the three countries fall within the Lithium Triangle.

Lithium reserves are often found in ecologically sensitive areas, notably saline water deposited inside wetlands and salt flats. In addition, lithium mining requires a large amount of water to extract and refine the ore, in areas where water is typically scarce. The environmental degradation of these sensitive areas, combined with the high levels of water consumption, have directly put at risk the traditional land uses and ways of life of Indigenous communities in the Lithium Triangle. In some cases, as a result of mining operations, communities have faced threats of being dispossessed from their lands and excluded from the economic benefits of the lithium extraction.

This project seeks to strengthen the capacities of Indigenous peoples' organizations and communities affected by the lithium industry to defend their rights. It will prioritize work with Indigenous peoples, particularly with women, and other environmental defenders. Through dialogue processes with both the state and the corporations involved, this initiative will contribute to the introduction of government policies and regulations as well as business practices of lithium companies to respect Indigenous defenders’ rights. More broadly, this project will contribute to crucial policy debates at regional and global levels on a just energy transition as well as strategies to address climate-related loss and damage.