BOLIVIA’S LITHIUM
be based in the country’s capital rather than in the affected region.15 Still, these organizations need to significantly improve their existing capacities to build a network and mobilize a wider spectrum of citizens by developing a clear and shared vision of common good. Establishing clear and consistent regulation and incorporating public consultation in the negotiations for and operation of lithium exploitation is especially important given the potential environmental and social impacts. Lithium-processing could threaten local communities and damage the surrounding ecosystem. If not managed properly, mining could affect the growing and promising tourism industry in what is one of Bolivia’s poorest areas and also threaten scarce water supplies.16 Lithium exploitation in Argentina, for example, has led to complaints of chemically contaminated water.17 In Bolivia, some local environmental groups are doubtful that the government has seriously considered these risks.18 Creating the infrastructure necessary to make Bolivia a leading provider in lithium and lithium-based products will
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take considerable financial resources and technical expertise. This ambitious project will have a much greater chance of sustainability and providing long-term benefits to the Bolivian population if it has buy-in from local communities – especially from indigenous communities – and broader citizen participation. The government can take a number of steps to ensure that lithium exploitation is undertaken responsibly and with public support. Among these steps is the need to clarify and enforce mining and environmental regulations and to provide greater information on the criteria that will be used to assess public and private sector partnerships for lithium-related projects. The public dissemination of high-quality, interpretable information relating to financing and contracting should be matched by proactive moves to engage a wide spectrum of civil society to contribute to the process. To create a transparent process for lithium exploitation is one of the most significant challenges Bolivia will have to surmount in order to benefit from its lithium in a sustainable manner.
Notes 1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
Marco Octavio Ribera is an environmental researcher with the Liga de Defensa del Medio Ambiente, Bolivia. He has written this article in collaboration with Cecilia Requena, technical secretary at Transparencia Bolivia. Financial Times (UK), ‘Surge in lithium demand expected’, 22 May 2010. US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2007 (Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office, 2007). Lawrence Wright, ‘Lithium dreams’, The New Yorker (US), 22 March 2010. Guardian (UK), ‘Lithium: The gift of Pachamama’, 8 August 2010.
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