Raw Materials, or Sacred Beings? Lithium Extraction Puts Two Worldviews Into Tension

Located in the heart of South America, Bolivia contains the largest lithium deposits in the world… In January 2023, state company YLB signed an agreement with the Chinese consortium CBC, which includes the world’s largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, to introduce a new method called direct lithium extraction… In particular, direct lithium extraction demands a great deal of fresh water, potentially endangering surrounding ecosystems as has happened in other parts of South America’s “lithium triangle.”… The female divinity of fertility, to whom people owe respect, is the Pachamama. Since she sustains and secures the reproduction of life, Andean Indigenous people make offerings to the Pachamama in ancestral rituals known as “challas” that seek to reinforce their connection with her… In industrial societies, on the other hand, nature is understood as something external to humanity – an object that can be mastered through science and technology. Today, electric vehicles are widely considered part of the solution to the climate crisis. Yet they will necessitate a mining surge to meet their battery demands