Mining companies, indigenous communities, and the state: the political ecology of lithium in Chile (Salar de Atacama) and Argentina (Salar de Olaroz-Cauchari)

Abstract

Based on intensive and long-term field research and document reviews, this article compares the historic evolution of lithium mining in Chile and Argentina. We highlight national development discourses and government regulatory frameworks in both countries. We illustrate and assess the diverse perceptions and strategies of local actors. Finally, we discuss the socio-spatial materialization of lithium mining in terms of power relations, ecology, and economy. Using perspectives from political ecology brings to light different power relations between the state, mining companies, and indigenous communities in Chile and Argentina. These power asymmetries have an enduring influence on local actors’ possibilities for taking action.

Green colonialism in Latin America? Towards a new research agenda for the global energy transition

“…Following on from the developments outlined above, the energy transition currently advanced in the Global North and worldwide is directly related to the increasing demand for certain strategic raw materials. This results in specific socio-territorial constellations in areas of resource extraction such as Argentina, Bolivia or Chile (Puente & Argento, 2015;Dorn & Gundermann, 2022;Lorca et al, 2022). However, the particular dynamics of commodity extraction always arise in interplay with national and regional 'development and modernization' policies.…”

“…However, increasing investment in technological solutions such as electromobility is also accompanied by a growing demand for certain strategic raw materials, resulting in a new 'green' resource frontier in many places, including Latin America. Particularly in the case of lithium mining in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, several studies have recently analyzed and documented the associated pressures on land, ecosystems, livelihood, and lifestyles (Dorn & Gundermann, 2022;Forget & Bos, 2022). On the one hand, embedding commodities in a discourse of climate policy imperative raises questions for resource governance.…”