Antonio Calpanchay, 45, has cut and sold blocks of salt from the Salinas Grandes, in northern Argentina, since he was 12. Photograph: John Owens/The Guardian
. But its exploitation has also fuelled a moral debate, one that pits the green energy transition against the rights of local and Indigenous peoples. “If they use all the water for mining, the salt flats will dry out. Water is needed for the salt to grow. Without salt, I won’t have work,” says Calpanchay, who relies on freshwater sources to rear his llamas and sheep. “Chemicals from extraction could contaminate the waters and the pastures. It could all be lost.”
Lition denies that the decision to mine in Lipan was contentious and says that it has complied with all regulations requiring it to seek the community’s support for lithium exploration. It previously told the press it has invested in 15 secondary school and 15 university scholarships, provided computers to local schools and hired 12 workers from Lipan.