Livelihood Destruction
For many the impacts of climate change include destruction of their livelihood. But this can also be a consequence of activities related to the "green transition", including mining and extraction.
On this page I'm going to look at some examples of this destruction.
Competition for Water in South America
In this Reuters article the competition for water is described.
In the "lithium triangle" the lithium is extracted from salt water brine. Brine is extracted with pumps and directed into large pools. The water is left to evaporate, and a mixture of lithium and other minerals remains.
In and around the Atacama desert communities are already experiencing water shortages affecting their home lives and agriculture. And as extraction activities continue and increase, the livelihoods of communities are threatened by the lack of the vital water resources they need to survive.
Agriculture in Portugal
Europe has relatively few known lithium deposits, but significant amounts in Portugal are seeing increased exploration, mining and extraction activities there.
This article describes how plans to open new mines are driving a wedge between the government and local communities, which worry that extraction activities could harm the environment and nearby farms, undermining their livelihood.
The law requires the mining company to pay a profit-sharing fee split between the government and the municipality, but campaigners say it would only cover a fraction of the income generated by agriculture.