they know that the road is not a solution. they know their flight could be fatal, wasn't going back. not an option. peace ma, i'm on and rabbit a, are stuck in the spanish border area. alongside other young people there waiting for a chance that will probably never come. shattered dreams starts june 18th on d. w. ah, there's a new gold rush in the andes mountains. mining companies are trying to tap into huge reserves of lithium, known as white gold argentine and wants to attract $5000000000.00 in bad. not only for lithium mining, but also for electro mobility programs. i said,

i'm really germany is moving ahead with this technology as well, and we'll need a lot of lithium to power those electric cars had 1000 people here was the pursuit of white gold can also have serious political consequences. with lithium brought down bolivians, government, religion. again, but can the lithium be extracted without damaging the local environment? some experts are skeptical and question the need for large scale mining projects. we're not familiar with and there's a family in europe really need to eat cars and it's re computer us. how will the mining of let them affect the local residents and what impact will it have on the region sensitive ecosystem? but with the, it's not about a share of the process. keith look

a little more. it's about our future. and the future of our children with this the this is the large, a large, a nissan flat, near the crest of the andes. in southwestern bolivia, beneath its crust lies the world's single largest deposit of lithium. me kind of, you know, for us is the mayor of the nearby community of real grounding while our supports lithium mining. because he believes that it will generate profits for everyone. this is it almost all of the communities near the salt flow and all of bolivia will

benefit from the extraction of lithium. here you get the will probably be beneficial. about 2000 people live in rio grande. the local economy is doing well thanks to income from the extraction of sodium, boar 8, or borax y last hopes that its lithium mining operations expand. as planned. there will be even more money for the local residence. there are huge deposits under the crust of the salt plan. a pilot plan for extracting the white gold has already been built. bolivian government wants to benefit from the increased demand for lithium. as more and more western countries developed electric vehicles, bolivian officials want to do more than simply export with him. they also plan to develop processing plants and battery production facilities,

which will create lots of new jobs. but if i didn't hear centuries ago, bolivian silver was simply sent to europe. now we want to use this natural resource to improve our lives in 2018 able morales living as president at the time agreed to a joint venture with the german company. they see systems all the money as promised to help a bolivian state company extract the lithium. it would also build a processing plant and a factory for making lithium batteries. it seems to be a win win situation for both sides. a c, i a s predicted a bright future development toes and director when we will create a 1000 jobs directly and 10000 indirect jobs before including those with the battery production so, so in, but even the german auto industry will need huge supplies of lithium as it makes

the transition to battery powered vehicles. so will car makers in other western countries. and that's good news for bolivia, argentina, and julie, which have huge reserves of white gold. now your wireless supports the agreement in principle, but only if it benefits the local residence. the message you must get thing as a broker, none of the people are entitled to a share of the profit because lithium extraction will have a huge impact upon the people of rio grande de la, many others. you run the risk, but there's more at stake here than just financial compensation. local leaders also demand that they have a say in the development of these projects. look, it says seems that our logistics co operative can help in the extraction of lithium

when i'm there. and we have the equipment that will be needed for this project that are support including truck support. it went out there regardless of them. i cannot put in 2019 president moran this put the joint venture on hold. in the wake of public protests in rio grande, a dozen civil trucks were purchased in anticipation of coming industrialization must proceed. i mean, we use these trucks to take the basins where wrong, lithium will be stored in the best, i mean, but right now they're just standing around my production. but there's hardly any opposition here to the joint venture. most local residents think the germans are the right partners for the project, including local politicians. theodore or the opposition comes from other parts of bolivia where a lot of people think it's a bad idea. look at the next. well,

as i remember, the germans can still save the project. so a lot of people were upset about the terms of the agreement movement. i mean, i think the germans should take part in the me. but in other places some citizens committees are opposed. and they've got people riled up this in 2019. there were widespread demonstrations against the proposed joint venture. and then october people took to the streets to protest alleged fraud in the recent general election during this chaos. morales cancel the agreement with germany in early november, international observers did find widespread evidence of fraud on november 10th, or at least resigned as president and left the country. now since then, lithium mining in bolivia has been suspended. even those who live near the salt

flats now have their doubts about the joint venture agreement. one of them is luis much aka a member of a citizens committee. as well as it had the germans wanting to extract our lithium with a 70 year contract. and you know, they wanted to be a good partner and didn't have the financial resources more of the technology. and what they heard here in bolivia, lithium lining has become a serious political issue. it's still not clear whether a foreign company will be brought in to get the extraction project moving again. in any case, lithium lining can choose huge amounts of water. is worried that the local wells may dry up this a boost killed the we need to find alternative ways to provide water for lithium

production. so if they just tap into our reservoir, meant that will ruin our children's future. come from it in the for 2 of them as, as the mayor says that environmental concerns like this are important as bolivia decides which foreign company will take part in the project that will you need. so let's holds the world's largest reserve lithium, which will be used in the batteries of the new generation of electric vehicles. large deposits of lithium are also found in the neighboring countries of lake and arching tina. this is the so called lithium triangle, which is home to nearly 60 percent of the world's supply of white gold. the much of the world's lithium is found in brine reservoirs that lie just below the surface of the desert areas of the andes region

. ah, these include chillies, other come a desert. this area is considered the world's strongest with an average annual rainfall of just 15 millimeters. the salt flats are all the left of sailing lakes, but developed millions of years ago. the surface water is scarce here, and it is vital for the survival of wildlife like these flamingos that julian company, s q m, has been mining lithium for 25 years at a facility on the other comma salt flat s q in is the world's number 2 producer of lithium workers pump brine to the surface from the depth of 40 meters. the bright then placed in basins where the liquid evaporates over several months, leaving behind lithium slag. this process uses

a lot of water pipelines run across the desert floor to supply the mining facility . when the water comes from wells that tap into the ground water button, a local resident, christiane to rocco is opposed to mining operations here because they're depleting the reservoirs on it that one the lower than they see is that this mining operation has been set up on land for that belongs to the indigenous peoples case. now, if you can't, the damage and the company is using up our underground water supply. 5th and 2nd though, all alone, i to rock says that some rivers in this region are running low. others have dried up altogether. he blames this situation on climate change and on water intensive mining operations in

a row, calling lives in the village of tucker, now located on the edge of the salt lake. about 700 people live here. christiane works as a surveyor and also farms, a small plot of land like his father and grandfather did. christian's father says that large scale, lithium mining is mostly responsible for the drop in the local water supply, which i can't as if whether a lot of people have moved away because there's not enough water. we should, i was one of the, you don't know if you don't have water, you can't grow crop. so a lot of people owe this situation has been confirmed by christina dora door, a biologist who has studied the environmental impact of mining operations. the sentiment that i saw in my dallas satellite images taken over the last 20 years,

so indicate that the soil has lost moisture vehicle. the ground temperature is rising and there's been a decrease in the amount of vegetation. these changes are the direct result of the expansion of lithia mining young, the somewhat of a little this is a serious threat to the areas fragile ecosystem. it affects the micro organisms in the lagoons and the flamingos that consume them. okay, so this is an example of the recall climate change as well as more water and brian is pumped out of the ground, the water level in the middle. this raises the water temperature which leads to evaporation. pick it up on the bottom line is that is accelerates the loss of water from the salt reliability. i was we weren't allowed to film at the s q in mind

because of cobit restrictions, but company vice president pablo alchemy says that the company has reduced water consumption in recent years, and we'll continue to do so sort of thing. i want to say we monitor water extraction and more than 250 locations in here. we also monitor the water level of the and we make all of this data public. you think it was a fully thought christiane. her uncle has doubts about the company's operations. is a women able look at you that over the years in the, in the so far, the s q m has not bothered to take the concerns of the local residents? seriously. it does is, and we're upset about that and that will be a good. they take the lithium out of the ground, get and then sell it. and europe as a clean product. i mean, you know, you and open the system. but as far as i'm concerned, and that's a lie,

a fuel. and there, when i mean some of the boom in lithium production will likely create even more water shortages. and that's a serious cause for concern. but so know that when you know people who live near the salt lake have filed several lawsuit against the mining companies, claiming that they used more water than was allowed to fix damage. the fuel is the only country in the world where the water supply is owned. by private company, if things continue like this, the salt lake will dry up in 10 to 20 years, will be for me to select my s q in says it does use environmentally friendly technology. so the ticket is silly, but i will proceed leaving our company needs to expand to produce more lithia, but that production has to be sustainable. but the concept of electoral mobility is based on sustainability. so we are committed to using production methods that are

sustainable. and if somebody i a few kilometers away across the border in argentina and increase in lithium mining could also create water shortages ah. for years the local indigenous people have made their living by mining salt. and they don't need a lot of water to do it. for the rest, you're in the ocean and we extract the salt in a sustainable way. it's a resource that renews itself, african dina's hours, salt lake or one of arch in tina and 7 wonders come in. they attract a lot of tourists, including foreigners, nephew, not uploading,

but tourism is down because of the pandemic. a few visitors are here today, posing for pictures in front of a striking natural landscape. but they can't fail to notice the protest signs put up by opponents of lithium mining. us in the little lithium itself is not the problem. i mean, it's what the water becomes contaminated or if they can deal with that. i think argentine should produce lithium in a sustainable way. you know, i mean most of those who make their living from tourism and mining salt, believe that lithium production poses a real threat. i don't want him to start looking to lead to. it'll scare away all of the tours, nor then it to the one of the leaders of the local anti lithium protests. is

clemente flores, like many people in chile, he's concerned that the water supply may be running low. lemme, and most of the day for me, the key is how much water the companies will use. whether they say one thing on their website. but that's usually less than the amount that they actually use. on board flores points out that lithium extraction is just getting started in this region. but a chinese company is already building a new production plant in they've built the drawing basin, so all they have to do now is fill them over there. you can see the pipes for the water that they pump up from below the surface. that water will evaporate during the production process. but i know they add line to remove impurities from the

lithium brian digital, and that's bad to the environment. well, not really what i mean, not me. this lithium plant is owned by an australian japanese company. nearly 40 similar projects are in the planning stages. argentine as government says, it will expand lithium production in the coming years. there will probably not be any controls, just like in chile lucas, he's the man that there's industry. we filed complaints and held demonstrations to try to slow the expansion. but any of that, i mean that the government has already issued permits for several projects, but no one is giving us any specific study. because i thought going into national agreement state that we have to be consulted in advance. that was for years, the indigenous people of who, who we province have been trying to stop the government from issuing lithium production licenses to foreign corporations. but the authorities are planning

projects with companies from japan, china and canada. supporters say environmental damage will be kept to a minimum age of benevolence in incandescent years. numerous scientific studies have shown that lithium mining does not threaten the water supplies of small farmers, but the salt lake has its own water system. in the when we pump brine there, it does not affect the fresh water reservoirs of the farming communities quickly about 2 and argentine as government hopes that lithium production will help boost the country's ailing economy. that a reproduction facilities are already on the drawing board. and argentina plans to build more electric vehicles for the domestic market. ah, we are convinced that expanding lithium production will help us to successfully

deal with the challenges of the future in china and europe and 20 percent of all vehicles. our electric argentina is way behind and the m. w is already of player in argentina's lithium market. the company predicts that 50 percent of all the cars it builds in 2030 will be electric. so they'll need a lot of lithium and have invested millions in argentina. b, m w says it will make sure that the lithium is mine responsibly. but even for farmed out in kind reasons, middle affairs and process that we use does not introduce any solvent for chemicals into the environment. within the most of the brian that we extract is returned to its source. i think not to the of the parts of this reduces water consumption substantially compared to other apply them ions up in a plea. production is plan to start in 2022. but local residents,

and many scientists doubt whether lithium can be mined in such an environmentally friendly way. waste unity particles. a lot of a lot of engineers believe that a salt lake is like a swimming pool. if you simply pump out the brine filter out the lithium and then pump the liquid back to the source. but this ecosystem has a fragile biological and chemical balance and mining ruin it case appear that car let me use how will the human lithium production affect a local environment? one person who's quite concerned about the situation is 11 year old malagra chavez . she's been compared to swedish activist, greater tune back get us into, but we need to defend our salt lake for lithium mine and i'm worried about how it

will affect cell production and water supplies, plants and animals, and no envelope. grandma, our children, have to get involved in conservation. otherwise our protests will achieve nothing that in this region will soon belong to them. and then use so far, florence and his neighbors have been fighting a losing battle. a number of big companies will soon start mining lithium here. but the protest will continue. flores has 7 children and 7 grandchildren. over the next 50 years, they may decide to leave the country. many to lands already have. flores often discusses this problem with his mother. on the earth is like a mother to. i know that we have to respect her and protect she

gives us life and she also protects us. ah, 4 generations of the florida family live under one roof. the res mama's and we've textiles from the wall. ah sure and complains that traditional life and the region is disappearing. many of the local young people have gone off to work for the mining companies and those jobs pay well. we return to bolivia. the government says it plans to produce 40 percent of the global demand for lithium by 2030 and that's a pretty ambitious goal. but to do that, they'll need foreign partners. the final decision will be up to the ministers in the bolivian capital le, pass economist county romero,

helped to negotiate the original deal with german company, a c. i. systems. some of us will leave you a little bit of money, but of course bolivia must regain investors trying to do that after the government cancel the a c i contract. people leave, you know, in 3, but some companies have benefited from that situation was compet. and now they don't want the germans to get back into the game, you know, put in the still have to tell me the competitors include chinese and us corporations. ah, tesla founder, ellen musk is also said to be interested in tapping into the lithium reserves. driving the government has not yet made a final decision. after months of political chaos, bolivians elected a new president in october 2020 luis. our son is

a former economics minister and was the preferred candidate of next president abel roblis the bows. i will that our government will represent the interests of all bolivians, and we will restore unity in our country. are so proved, especially popular among indigenous voters. now he will have to decide whether to negotiate a new lithium deal with a c i a s or find another international partner or whatever. we must do everything we can to use the latest technology and move forward quickly with lithium reduction processes into the previous contract. with germany, government would not have brought us the rapid industrial progress that we have. experts say

a new deal. we'll have to clearly define the rules of the participants and specify the distribution of royalties and profits really funded mental changes in the lithium production model are on the horizon. for example, producers could be ordered to do more to protect the environment a broad based group of july and citizens is now drafting a new constitution. in the wake of massive protests that began in 2019 biologist, christina, door to door was among those elected to draft the new constitution elementary. i demand that the salt lake be preserved over the long term. if we continue to pursue short term economical that will destroy them again, though the lithium boom may bring prosperity to the andes region. but at what price?

we have. but what if we were to destroy our salt lake because of lithium production? and we'd certainly live to regret it, but still many feel left out. i didn't need lithium. i want to go on living like i do, you know what effect with a push toward electron mobility have on south america. pricing come, i don't day. in germany. electro mobility represents the development of clean vehicle technology and to the use of fossil fuels posting seen in, but it doesn't, but this transition cannot be made at the expense of fragile ecosystem like our salt sonata. and let me say to me

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