“Before, the Vega was all green,” she says. “You couldn’t see the animals through the grass. Now everything is dry.”
Generations of her family raised sheep here. But as climate change reduced rainfall, the land suffered. Then, things got worse.
“They started taking the water,” she says — referring to lithium mining companies.
Lithium Boom, Local Bust
Beneath the salt flats of the Atacama lie some of the world’s largest lithium reserves, crucial for powering electric cars, solar batteries, and digital devices. But this “green gold” rush comes at a steep local cost.
In just three years, global lithium consumption more than doubled—from 95,000 tonnes in 2021 to 205,000 tonnes in 2024. By 2040, it’s expected to surpass 900,000 tonnes, largely due to EV battery demand, says the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Chile, the second-largest lithium producer after Australia, is racing to meet this demand. Its government launched a National Lithium Strategy, aiming to partly nationalize the industry and boost private investment.
Drying Wetlands, Shrinking Lagoons, Dying Birds
The environmental toll is severe.
To extract lithium, companies pump brine from underground aquifers into surface evaporation pools. This removes massive quantities of water from one of the world’s driest regions.
In the Los Flamencos National Reserve, biologist Faviola González has tracked the changes:
“The lagoons here are smaller now. We’ve seen a decrease in the reproduction of flamingos.”
Disruption to microbial ecosystems affects the entire food chain, including the rare flamingos that once nested abundantly in the region.
Even native flora is at risk. A 2022 report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that one-third of native algarrobo trees on SQM-mined land had begun dying as early as 2013.
“What Are We Going to Live On?”
In Peine, a town near the Salar de Atacama, the community has been forced to overhaul its entire water system due to shortages.
Sergio Cubillos, leader of Peine’s indigenous association, blames extractive mining:
“They’ve extracted millions of cubic metres of water… Hundreds of litres per second.”
Residents like Sara Plaza echo the pain:
“The companies give the community a little money. But I’d prefer no money. I’d prefer to live off nature and have water to live.”
She fears the land won’t recover. “Maybe I won’t see it, but our grandchildren will.”
A High-Tech “Natural Laboratory”?
Mining companies claim they are adapting.
SQM, Chile’s largest lithium producer, says it’s piloting direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies to reduce brine use and reinject evaporated water back into the ground. It aims to cut current extraction by at least 50% by 2031.
But locals remain sceptical. Faviola warns the Atacama is becoming a “natural laboratory” for experiments that may not work.
“If we are extracting a lot of water and little is entering, there is little to recharge the Salar de Atacama.”
“Not Just About Jobs”
Proponents say mining brings jobs and infrastructure. But critics argue the cost to culture, environment, and autonomy is too high.
“It’s not just about money,” says political scientist Karen Smith Stegen. “Jobs are not the be-all and end-all for what these communities want.”
Some consultants even suggest communities exaggerate environmental concerns to demand payouts. But locals insist their worries are rooted in visible environmental degradation and loss of traditional ways of life.
A Global Dilemma
The Atacama’s lithium dilemma encapsulates a larger paradox: Can the world fight climate change without creating new environmental injustices?
Indigenous voices like Raquel’s and Faviola’s call for a more inclusive transition:
“Maybe lithium is good for the cities,” Raquel concedes. “But it also harms us. We don’t live the life we used to live here.”
Faviola points to the inequity of the global energy transition:
“Who are the electric cars going to be for? Europeans, Americans, not us… Our carbon footprint is much smaller. But it’s our water that’s being taken. Our sacred birds that are disappearing.”
Bottom Line: As the world sprints toward green energy, communities in Chile’s Atacama Desert are left wondering: At what cost?
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