In 2024, Bolivia’s state-owned lithium company, signed contracts worth a combined $2 billion with Russian and Chinese companies to mine lithium from Salar de Uyuni in the country’s southwest.
Local communities already experiencing water shortages say they’re concerned the projects will divert large amounts of freshwater from agricultural lands.
Experts have pointed out inconsistencies with the contracts, including the lack of environmental impact assessments required under Bolivian law, and the lack of community consultation.
Bolivia holds an estimated 23 million metric tons of lithium reserves, or about a fifth of the global total, which is in growing demand for production of electric vehicle batteries.
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ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world 3 days ago
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I guess the 2019 coup backfired on Tesla if the contracts went to China and Russia. Or maybe he paid off enough people and will get a cut?
And people say he only recently went nuts.
MrMakabar@slrpnk.net 3 days ago
The coup failed somewhat. Morales is no longer president. However Arce the current president was finance and economics minister under Morales, but got kicked out of the party, due to preventing Morales from being president.