The Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in northern Chile and the third largest globally, contains nearly a quarter of the world's lithium reserves. Lithium is a vital ingredient for rechargeable batteries, which are crucial for reducing carbon emissions in transportation and energy sectors.
However, the extraction of this lithium is reportedly leading to escalating social and environmental costs. The process involves pumping underground lithium-rich brine to vast surface evaporation ponds. Natural evaporation then concentrates the brine, increasing its lithium levels from approximately 0.15% to 6%.
This method of "mining water" is said to imperil the fragile desert water system, along with the species and communities that depend on it. The Atacama's unique climatic, geological, geothermal, and hydrological conditions make it one of the least expensive places to mine lithium.