In the South American Andes, at regarding 4,000 meters above sea level, lithium is present in salt lakes and deserts. 59 percent of global resources are located in the “lithium triangle” in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. International mining companies have been active in the region for decades. The expansion of renewable energy has increased interest in lithium.
Millions of liters of water have to be evaporated to extract the lithium from the subsoil of the salt lakes. The consequences for the ecosystem are not foreseeable because there are basically no independent studies on this, criticizes economic geographer Dorn from the University of Innsbruck. A lot of research work was largely the result of commissioned studies from the mining companies operating there. The region has been inhabited by indigenous communities for centuries. Their way of life is influenced by the intensive lithium mining of the companies.
“No to lithium, yes to water and life”
In the Argentine provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca, indigenous groups make their living primarily from cattle breeding and small-scale subsistence farming. The enormous water consumption caused by the lithium extractions by the mining companies is drying up the pastureland. Hiking trails are interrupted. Under the motto “No to lithium, yes to water and life”, the communities of the Salinas Grandes have therefore called for protests in recent years.
However, there is much more to the keyword water, as Dorn discovered during his research stays in Argentina. It is regarding demands for a say and self-determination. The documentary “Bajo la sal” (English: “Below the Salt”), which sheds light on the perspective of the indigenous communities, was made together with the filmmaker Emiliano Bazzani.
Abandoned by the government
The criticism of the indigenous communities is not only aimed at the companies, but also at the government. The mining companies enjoy tax advantages in Argentina. Only three percent mining fees are to be paid on the turnover. Water consumption is not taxed at all. “What we see here is an unequal distribution of profits on the one hand and environmental risks on the other; Profits in favor of international companies and environmental risks at the expense of the indigenous communities on site,” Dorn sums up.
The government is unable to mediate. The company’s own interests in playing an important role in the global economy through the lithium boom prevail. Most of the lithium, however, is exported to Asia and Europe for battery production.
Occurrence in rock
Lithium is a chemical element that does not occur in nature in pure, metallic form. There are large deposits in Australia and China, for example. In conventional mining, rocks are the raw material in which the lithium is contained in minerals in small quantities. This includes the mineral spodumene with a lithium content of one to a maximum of five percent.
The lithium has to be removed from the mineral rock by chemical processes, explains geologist Frank Melcher from the University of Leoben. This can sometimes be cumbersome. In any case, a lot of material remains that either has to be taken back to the mine or can be used in some other way, for example in the construction industry.
Das Lavanttaler Lithium
In Europe, the Carinthian Koralpe might develop into one of the most important mining areas in the next few years. Since 2011, the mining site, including the mining rights, has belonged to the company European Lithium. Behind it is the Australian mining group Global Strategic Metals.
Exploration, test drilling and feasibility studies are ongoing. Technically, European Lithium might start mining in 2024. According to European Lithium, a factory is to be built in the region for the further processing and production of 10,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year.
Also in Carinthia
Günther Vallant, Mayor of Frantschach/St. Gertraud (SPÖ), demands an environmental impact assessment (EIA) in view of European Lithium’s mining plans on the Koralpe. Frank Melcher (Montanuni Leoben) assesses the environmental risks from mining as low, since lithium ore does not contain any toxic metals or sulphur. An EIA would not hurt at all. However, the transport of large amounts of rock into the valley will result in enormous dust and noise pollution. This might also be clarified as part of an EIA. One should think regarding alternatives to truck transport, for example the construction of a cable car, adds Melcher.
Whether there will be an EIA remains to be seen. Since there is currently no concrete mining project for European Lithium, no formal EIA can be applied for from the state of Carinthia, says Vallant. In addition, an EIA is only mandatory for procedures larger than ten hectares. In the present case, it is regarding 9.9 hectares, says Vallant and criticizes the focus on such formalities by the authorities. Too little is judged according to actual discretion.
Energy transition: Between replacement and reduction
In 1991, Sony presented its rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Since then, the demand has not stopped. In addition to batteries for mobile phones and laptops, lithium is primarily used to expand electromobility. By 2030, the Global Battery Alliance expects battery production to increase fourteenfold.
Lithium is directly related to the necessary energy and mobility transition. The e-car is set to replace combustion engines in the coming decades. This legitimizes lithium mining. From a European point of view, the question arises as to where the lithium should come from.
The import rate in Europe is currently over 80 percent. Melcher sees a need to catch up in terms of investments in research and corresponding exploration projects in Europe.
The European Commission aims to reduce dependency on imports. The fact that the work on the Koralpe is being led by Australian actors illustrates the contradictions of the lithium boom.
Dorn, on the other hand, raises a more fundamental question. In his opinion, further valorization of natural raw materials is not enough to make the energy transition socially just. This also does not solve the structural problems of private transport. As the main cause of the climate crisis, the global North should therefore think more regarding reducing and transforming the current economic model.
