One ton of lithium requires as much as 2 million liters of water

"Salar de Atacama, where the majority of Chilean lithium extraction occurs, is one of the driest places in the world, historically receiving an average of only 2 mm of rainfall per year. The minimal rainfall results in not only faster evaporation and lithium collection for mining companies, but also higher stakes for the region’s ecosystem as it depletes the supply for inhabitants and wildlife."

payneinstitute.mines.edu/wp-co

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@gerrymcgovern

Do people like Just stop oil etc read these articles ?

@zleap I don't know what/who "Just stop oil" is as an entity, but I think it's a good slogan.

That said I believe the paper is interesting and relevant, not to be ignored. There are 2 considerations that need to be clarified to reconcile this.

(1/3)

@zleap
1. We (all rich societies) lack any proper will to tackle the problems at the intensity that the emergency requires. There are potential solutions like salt batteries or many other technologies just around the corner that will free us from the need for lithium but we're just waiting to see if a VC-backed startup is going to crack the problem in a profitable enough way.

In 1969 humans went to the moon, but we can't save ourselves from frying by spending massively where it counts.

(2/3)

@zleap where on earth did part 3 of my answer go??? 😔

@zleap it's yet another case of a reply being posted as an "orphan" away from the thread it was in response to. I don't know if it's my instance or me not understanding mastodon 🤦‍♂️

Part 3 is here : mastodon.green/@PierricD/11217

If anyone can explain why this 3rd part, posted as a reply to the 2nd part just like the 2nd part was a response to the first part, isn't in the original thread, my sanity would thank you. #askfedi #mastodon

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