we've got some hot tips for your bucket list, the magic corner spot for food, and some great help. the more to boot the w travels off. we go. mm oh, 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 invest. not only for lithium mining, but also for electron mobility programs. i said, i really like to get germany is moving ahead with this technology as well, and we'll need a lot of lithium to power those electric cars ahead 1000 people here was

a pursuit of white gold can also have serious political consequences. with lithium, brought down bolivia as government religious 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 ethical. how will the mining of lithium affect the local residence and what impact will it have on the regions sensitive ecosystem? and it's not about a share of the process keys. look a little more, it's about our future and the future of our children. in the

in this is the large, the large, a unique sounds flat near the crest of the andes. in southwestern bolivia, benita crust lies the world single largest deposit of lithium con. no finance is the mayor of the nearby community of rio grande. why le supports lithium mining? because he believes that it will generate profits for everyone. necessity, thomas k. all of the communities near the salt flow and all of bolivia will benefit from the extraction of lithium here. you get a little while the vendors have been if you ship 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 if 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 for libby as 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 lithium. they also plan to develop processing plants and battery production facilities, which will create lots of new jobs that if it is here, centuries ago, bolivian silver was simply sent to europe. now we want to use this natural resource

to improve our lives that neither in 2018 able moralities, bolivia as president at the time agreed to a joint venture with the german company, a c i system is all the money a c i a s promise 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 event and toes and feel like 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. mayer wireless supports the agreement in principle, but only if it benefits the local residence. the message musket 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 co, 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 living when i'm there. and we have the equipment that will be needed for this project that are support including truck bent regardless, calculate them,

i cannot. but in 2019 president moran is put the joint venture on hold in the wake of public protest in rio grande, a dozen civil trucks were purchased in anticipation of coming industrialization. pharmacist receive, i mean, we use these trucks to take the bases where wrong, lithium will be stored in the best, i mean, but right now they're just standing around my production. but to come in 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 politician to doro. the opposition comes from other parts of bolivia, where a lot of people think it's a bad idea. look at the next monday, the germans can still save the project. but 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 in october, people took to the streets to protest alleged fraud in the recent general election . during this chaos rather 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 the citizens committee. spell as they put it into the germans, wanting to extract our lithium with a 70 year contract. i know that they want it to be a good partner and didn't have the financial resources more of the technology that they handle. 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, lizzie, mining consumers, huge amounts of water may require less, is worried that the local wells may dry up is a boost, kill them at 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 from it than the for little them associate. the mayor says that environmental concerns like this are

important as bolivia decides which foreign company will take part in the project that will unique. so last holds the world's largest reserve of 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 lakes and arch 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 sun plants are all the left of sailing lakes that developed millions of years ago. the surface water is scarce here, and it is vital for the survival of wildlife. like the slamming of the julian company, s q m has been mining lithium for 25 years at a facility on the arctic. almost old flood s q in is the world's number 2, producer of libyan workers. pump brian to the surface from a depth of 40 meters. the broad 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. then when the letter monday, see this mining operation has been set up on land for that belongs to the indigenous people. now, if you can damage and the company is using up our underground water supply. 15 seconds all alone and to rocco says that some rivers in this region are running low. others have dried up altogether. really blamed 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 flat,

about 700 people live here. christiane works as a surveyor and also farms of small plot of land, like his father and grandfather did. christiana father says that large scale, lithium mining is mostly responsible for the drop in the local water supply, which i can't does if, whether a lot of people have moved away because there's not enough water. well, what are you doing? if you don't have water, you can't grow crop. so a lot of people have oh, this situation has been confirmed by christina dora door, a biologist who has studied the environmental impact of mining operations at their settlement that i saw him. i finished dallas and we got a late images taken over the last 20 years out, indicate that the soil has lost moisture the ground temperature is rising. and if

there's been a decrease in the amount of vegetation, these changes are the direct result of the expansion of lithium mining on the cell . what are the 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 a recall climate change as well as more water and brian is pumped out of the ground, the water level in the middle of 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 want both of them. we weren't allowed to film at the s q in mind because of cobit restrictions, but company vice president pablo alchemy arrest says that the company has reduced water consumption in recent years,

and we'll continue to do so. i'm going to say we monitor water extraction and more than $250.00 locations in the we also monitor the water level of the and we make all of this data public. you think it was a fool, you know, thought christiane, her uncle has doubts about the company's operations. is women able of either of the others in the any so far? the s q m has not bothered to take the concerns of the local residents and seriously. the susan 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 and i would open the system, but as far as i'm concerned in italy, that's a lie, a c o. and then 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. 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 before needed. and my s q in says it does use environmentally friendly technology. so they will stick it, but i will proceed a little. 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. whether that's the number of them. 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 locum, 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 re sources that renews itself, dina's hours, salt lake or one of arch in tina 7 wonders come in. they attract a lot of tourists, including foreigners, with the national, 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. in the little lithium itself is not the problem . i mean, it's whether the water becomes contaminated or if they can deal with not, i think argentina should produce lithium in a sustainable way. and yet, 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 them to start looking to lead to. it'll scare away all of the tours and you know, the nipple, the one of the leaders of the local anti lithium protest 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 me. they say one thing on their website, but that's usually less than the amount that they actually use. the 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. when they add line to remove impurities from the lithium, brian. and that's bad for the environment. well, not really. what i mean to me this lithium plant is owned by an australian japanese

company. nearly 40 similar projects are in the planning stages. argentina's government says it will expand lithium production in the coming years. there will probably not be any controls just like in july or lucas. he's the man that there's industry. we filed complaints and have held demonstrations to try to slow the expansion. but any of that, i mean the government has already issued permits for several projects, but no one is giving us any specific stuff that goes in or national agreement state that we have to be consulted in advance. it was for years, the indigenous people of who, who a 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 of an invoice,

a 1000 years. numerous scientific studies have shown that lithium mining does not threaten the water supplies of small farmers with the salt lake has its own water system in the when we pump right there, it does not affect the fresh water reservoirs of the farming communities liquid glue. but argentine as government popes then, lithium production will help boost the countries ailing economy. that a reproduction facilities are already on the drawing board. and argentine 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 or in china and europe. 20 percent of all vehicles are electric. argentina is way behind that, and c, m,

w is already a 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, w says it will make sure that the lithium is mine responsibly. but you can find that in kind of like a failure process that we use does not introduce any solvent 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 part of this reduces water consumption substantially compared to other item items up and as a pre production is planned to start in 2022. but local residents, and many scientists doubt whether lithium can be mined in such an environmentally friendly way. waste unity circle. 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 to ruin. it appears that the supporter i how will the lithium production affect the 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 into it. but we need to defend our salt lake for lithium mine and i'm worried about how it will effect so production and water supplies, plants and animals. and you know, envelope grandma, our children have to get involved in conservation. otherwise,

our protests will achieve nothing that this region will soon belong to them gave me 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 protests 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. you know, that we have to respect her. and protect her she gives us life, and she also protects us, that ah, 4 generations of the forest families live under one roof. they res moments,

and we've textiles from the womb. ah flores 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 will 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 sci systems. olivia knows

all about money, but of course well libya must regain investors trust after the government cancel the a c. i contract. people leave you know, entry but some companies have benefited from that situation. this company and now they don't want the germans to get back into the game, you know, putting this, telling us that the competitors include chinese and us corporations. ah, tesla founder l on 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. the lease ourself is a former economics minister and was the preferred candidate of next president abel morales. the bonus i with our government will represent the

interests of all bolivia. and we will restore unity in our country. only that 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 process into the previous contract with germany would not have brought us the rapid industrial progress that we see. a lot of 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 fundamental changes in the

lithium production model are on the horizon. for example, the 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 lakes 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. what if we were to destroy our salt lake because of lithium production? and we'd certainly live to regret it. you open out, but i still many feel left out. i

didn't need lithium. i want to go on living like i do, you know what defect with a push toward electron mobility have on south america, the price my name, i don't day and i live in germany. electro mobility represents the development of clean vehicle technology to an end to the use of fossil fuels for seen and it doesn't, but this transition cannot be made at the expense of fragile system equals like our salt sonata. and let me say to me, the check

the okay, so the last season wasn't all about partying. course there was still plenty to celebrate. the emotional highlights the past, even in the 2nd part of our retail in 30 minutes on the w. ah, the ah ah

ah ah was, ah, this is the w news lied from berlin. natal takes a tougher line against russia and china for the 1st time nato leaders declare beijing, a challenge to global security. and they put moscow on notice. also coming up at least 6000 people have been killed in the philippines war on drugs. the international criminal court wants to investigate. but how far can approach get with do tear pay and power. and one shows the support for l g b t q right, could soon be against the law in.