南美“锂三角”，传统与产业间的斗争

An area stretching across Argentina,Bolivia and Chile forms what is called the "Lithium Triangle." Theearth there is rich in lithium, a necessary metal in creating batteries forelectric cars and other products.

The international effort to develop technologies that do not useoil, gas or coal requires huge amounts of lithium. But small native communitiesin the Lithium Triangle are worried. They fear their way of life will disappearas industry pushes for new lithium mines. The mining takes place in low, dryareas known as "salt flats."

Stories from Argentina

Irene Leonor Flores de Callata is 68 yearsold. She lives in a desert area of Argentina where she keeps llamas and sheep.The life includes searching for fresh water on a usual basis.

Her town is one of 38 that surround salt flats called theGuayatoyoc Lagoon and Salinas Grandes. People in the area earn some money fromvacationing visitors and salt harvesting. They are a native people known as theKolla.

Flores de Callata worries that if the mining expands in herarea, there will be no water. She said: "What will we do if we don't havewater? If the mines come, we'll lose our culture, we won't be left withanything."

Lithium's value

Between 2021 and 2023, the price for one ton of lithium almosttripled in the U.S., reaching $46,000. In China, a main buyer of lithiumreportedly paid $76,000 for one ton of the metal last year. Some call the metal"white gold."

Mining companies around the world are turning their attention tothe Lithium Triangle. World leaders are also pushing for lithium production. Inthe United States, President Joe Biden said he aimed to have electric vehiclesmake up half of all sales in America by 2030. That would amount to about 8million electric vehicles. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said:"Argentina is poised to play a critical role inbuilding supply chains for critical minerals thatwill drive the economy of the 21st century, particularly things likelithium."

Although prices have recently dropped because of oversupply,experts say worldwide demand is likely to rise in the future.

Environmentalconcerns in Chile

Two lithium mining companies operate in Chile, which bordersArgentina to the west. SQM is a Chilean business and Albermarle is an Americanone. Valentín Barrera, a spokesman for SQM, said lithium is an answer to theproblem climate change. "We want to grow, understanding that it's neededto mitigate climate change."

In Chile, SQM pumps thousands of liters of salt water out of theground and then lets the water dry out in pools. The solidsin the salty water contain lithium. The pools evaporate, leavinga solid substance that is collected and purified.

Environmentalists, however, are concerned that the mining in thearea will harm animals like flamingos and other life. As in Argentina, mininghas brought criticism and legal cases. Local people want influence in decisionsabout the land.

In 2016, an investigation of SQM found that the company had usedmore water in their mining process than the law permitted. Later, the companywas ordered to pay $51 million to mitigate damage caused by six incidents,including the polluting of fresh water wells.

Barrera said the court actions and criticism come from"disinformation." He blamed the state-run copper mines, which alsouse a lot of water.

An Albermarle spokesperson said the underground salt water"is not water" because it is not drinkable.

The Associated Press (AP) spoke to a number of scientists. Theysaid it is hard to believe that industrial water use does not affect theenvironment. They said water pumping can pollute fresh water with salty waterand dry out the surrounding area.

Ingrid Garcés studies water at Chile's University ofAntofagasta. She said the salt flats are important for different kinds ofanimal and plant life. She said the water in the salt flats is not drinkablebut is connected to other water sources and is important to natives.

A 2020 report from the United Nations said that mining has usedup 65 percent of the water in Chile's Atacama Salt Flat causing pollution andenvironmental damage, causing natives to leave "ancestralsettlements."

In April of 2023, Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced aplan to increase government control of lithium mines. The government told theAP the plan would help control water use and spread wealth to more people. Themove had the effect of pushing mining companies to invest in neighboringArgentina.

An opportunity andcontradiction

Miguel Soler is secretary of mining in northern Argentina. Hesaid, "In Argentina, (Chile's decision) is an opportunity."

More than 30 companies are officially seeking permission to minein the Guayatoyoc Lagoon and Salinas Grandes areas in Argentina. Local peopleare opposing the business effort.

The llama herder Flores de Callata and her native Kolla peoplehave fought against mining and brought long legal battles to halt projects inthe past also.

"We are guardians of the highlands," said Flores deCallata, "We defend our land..."

Last summer, the local government changed laws to limit theability of groups to protest against the expansion of mining. Alicia Chalabe,an environmental lawyer representing the communities, said the change to locallaw violates international law. She said there is a lot of "pressureto exploit lithium for electric vehicles." But sheadded, while lithium is important worldwide, "so is the resistance ofthese communities. They're not alone."

Flores de Callata lives in the small town of Tusaquillas next tothe wide salt flats where mining might take place in the future. She has asmall group of farm animals and lives in a home with dried mud walls that sheand her husband built. She wonders what will be left in 20 years.

"If the mines come, we'll have money for a time. But thenour grandchildren, our great-grandchildren—they're the ones who willsuffer," she said.

Generations of Ramon Torres' family herded goats near a townclose to Chile's Atacama Salt Flats. But when companies started mining lithiumin the early 1980s, Torres took a job as a miner and started saving money.

Today, he uses his wireless phone as he sits next to his smallhome. He bought the house and his device with his earnings from mining.

"There is development, but there's also the water issue.And they contradict each other," Torres said."Because everyone needs money, everyone also needs the basics, likehealthcare and education."

一个横跨阿根廷、玻利维亚和智利的地区形成了所谓的“锂三角”。那里的地球富含锂，锂是制造电动汽车和其他产品电池所必需的金属。

国际上开发不使用石油、天然气或煤炭的技术的努力需要大量的锂。但锂三角地区的小型土著社区却很担心。他们担心，随着行业推动新的锂矿开采，他们的生活方式将消失。采矿发生在被称为“盐滩”的低而干燥的地区。

来自阿根廷的故事

Irene Leonor Flores de Callata今年68岁。她住在阿根廷的沙漠地区，在那里她养了美洲驼和绵羊。这种生活通常包括寻找淡水。

她所在的小镇是环绕瓜亚托约克泻湖和大萨利纳斯盐沼的38个盐沼之一。该地区的人们从度假游客和采盐中赚取一些钱。他们是当地的科拉人。

弗洛雷斯·德·卡拉塔担心，如果采矿在她的地区扩大，那里将没有水。她说:“如果我们没有水怎么办?如果在这里采矿，我们将失去我们的文化，我们将一无所有。”

锂的价值

2021年至2023年间，美国一吨锂的价格几乎上涨了两倍，达到4.6万美元。据报道，在中国，锂的一个主要买家去年以7.6万美元的价格购买了一吨锂。有些人称这种金属为“白金”。

世界各地的矿业公司正将注意力转向“锂三角”。世界各国领导人也在推动锂生产。在美国，乔·拜登总统表示，他的目标是到2030年让电动汽车占到美国汽车总销量的一半。这相当于大约800万辆电动汽车。美国国务卿安东尼·布林肯(Antony Blinken)表示:“阿根廷准备在建立关键矿产供应链方面发挥关键作用，这些矿产将推动21世纪的经济发展，尤其是锂等矿产。”

尽管由于供过于求，价格最近有所下降，但专家表示，未来全球需求可能会上升。

智利的环境问题

两家锂矿公司在西部与阿根廷接壤的智利开展业务。SQM是一家智利公司，而Albermarle是一家美国公司。Valentín巴雷拉，SQM的发言人，说锂是解决气候变化问题的答案。“我们想要增长，明白这是减缓气候变化所必需的。”

在智利，SQM从地下抽出数千升盐水，然后让水在水池中变干。咸水中的固体含有锂。池蒸发，留下的固体物质被收集和净化。

然而，环保人士担心，该地区的采矿活动会伤害到火烈鸟等动物和其他生物。与阿根廷一样，采矿业也带来了批评和法律诉讼。当地居民希望对土地决策有影响力。

2016年，对SQM的一项调查发现，该公司在采矿过程中使用的水超过了法律允许的范围。后来，该公司被要求支付5100万美元，以减轻包括淡水井污染在内的六起事故造成的损害。

巴雷拉说，法院的行动和批评来自“虚假信息”。他指责国有铜矿，这些铜矿也使用大量的水。

阿尔伯马尔的一位发言人说，地下盐水“不是水”，因为它不能饮用。

美联社采访了一些科学家。他们说，很难相信工业用水不会影响环境。他们说，抽水会使咸水污染淡水，使周围地区变干。

英格丽德·加尔卡萨斯在智利安托法加斯塔大学研究水。她说，盐滩对不同种类的动植物都很重要。她说，盐滩上的水不能饮用，但与其他水源相连，对当地人很重要。

联合国2020年的一份报告称，采矿已经消耗了智利阿塔卡马盐滩65%的水，造成污染和环境破坏，导致当地人离开“祖先的定居点”。

2023年4月，智利总统加布里埃尔·博里奇宣布了一项计划，以加强政府对锂矿的控制。政府对美联社表示，该计划将有助于控制用水，并让更多的人分享财富。此举促使矿业公司在邻国阿根廷投资。

机遇与矛盾

Miguel Soler是阿根廷北部矿业部长。他说:“在阿根廷，(智利的决定)是一个机会。”

30多家公司正在正式申请在阿根廷瓜亚托约克泻湖和大萨利纳斯地区采矿的许可。当地居民反对商业活动。

羊驼牧民弗洛雷斯·德·卡拉塔和她的土著科拉人过去也曾反对采矿，并为停止项目进行了漫长的法律斗争。

“我们是高地的守护者，”弗洛雷斯·德·卡拉塔说，“我们保卫我们的土地……”

去年夏天，当地政府修改了法律，限制团体抗议采矿扩张的能力。代表这些社区的环境律师艾丽西亚·查拉比(Alicia Chalabe)表示，对当地法律的修改违反了国际法。她说，“开发锂用于电动汽车的压力很大”。但她补充说，虽然锂在全世界都很重要，“但这些社区的抵制也很重要。”他们并不孤单。”

弗洛雷斯·德·卡拉塔住在图萨基亚拉斯小镇，旁边是广阔的盐滩，未来可能会在那里采矿。她有一小群农场动物，住在她和丈夫用干泥墙建造的房子里。她想知道20年后会留下什么。

“如果开采，我们会有一段时间的钱。但是我们的孙辈，我们的曾孙，他们才是受苦的人。”

拉蒙·托雷斯(Ramon Torres)一家几代人在智利阿塔卡马盐滩附近的一个小镇放羊。但当公司在20世纪80年代初开始开采锂时，托雷斯找了一份矿工的工作，开始存钱。

如今，他坐在自己的小房子旁边使用无线电话。他用挖矿赚的钱买了房子和设备。

“这里有发展，但也有水资源问题。它们相互矛盾，”托雷斯说。“因为每个人都需要钱，每个人都需要基本的东西，比如医疗和教育。”