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Lithium: Argentina's 'White Gold' Rush

Are lithium-powered electric vehicles as 鈥榞reen鈥� as we think they are?

Are lithium-powered electric vehicles as 鈥榞reen鈥� as we think they are? With the advent of electric cars, manufacturers tell us we鈥檙e racing towards a clean-energy future. It鈥檚 lithium that powers these vehicles. Most of the world鈥檚 stocks of this lightest of metals are found in brine deep beneath salt flats, high in the Andes. In Argentina, in Jujuy - the province with the highest percentage of indigenous households in the country - massive projects are underway. But in a super-dry region, with water the most precious resource, and lithium extraction demanding huge quantities of it, there鈥檚 anxiety - and outright opposition.

Presenter / producer: Linda Pressly
Producer in Argentina: Gert De Saedeleer
Editor: Bridget Harney

Available now

28 minutes

Broadcasts

  • Thu 7 May 2020 11:00
  • Mon 11 May 2020 20:30

Podcast