Bolivia and Lithium 11/04/2009
The Incredible Landscape of Southwestern Bolivia
Foreign Policy has a great new photo journal on the lithium-filled salt flats of Bolivia.
In case you missed our last post on the subject, Bolivia is estimated to have over half of the world's lithium deposits. Lithium batteries power most new hi-tech gadgets, including the laptop which I'm using to write this post. Demand for lithium is expected to skyrocket in the future as the West begins using lithium battery-powered electric cars.
Bolivia has long been famous for its natural resources. The silver mine at Potosi, discovered by the Spanish in the 14th century, is the biggest in the world. Bolivia also boasts huge reserves of other minerals, oil, and natural gas.
But despite its rich resources, Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America. Its socialist president, Evo Morales, is determined to keep out foreign companies and thereby ensure that Bolivia's natural wealth goes into the pockets of native Bolivians (or so he says).
If Bolivia wants to become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium" it will need to cooperate with its neighbors to access ports. Bolivia has been landlocked since losing its coastline to Chile in the obscure War of the Pacific (1879-84).
In addition to Bolivia, Chile and Tibet also have large lithium reserves. The growth of demand for lithium is a development to keep an eye on in the next decade, and is illustrative of another point-- efforts by the West to wean itself off of oil will not likely end its dependence on other countries for natural resources.
In case you missed our last post on the subject, Bolivia is estimated to have over half of the world's lithium deposits. Lithium batteries power most new hi-tech gadgets, including the laptop which I'm using to write this post. Demand for lithium is expected to skyrocket in the future as the West begins using lithium battery-powered electric cars.
Bolivia has long been famous for its natural resources. The silver mine at Potosi, discovered by the Spanish in the 14th century, is the biggest in the world. Bolivia also boasts huge reserves of other minerals, oil, and natural gas.
But despite its rich resources, Bolivia is the poorest country in Latin America. Its socialist president, Evo Morales, is determined to keep out foreign companies and thereby ensure that Bolivia's natural wealth goes into the pockets of native Bolivians (or so he says).
If Bolivia wants to become the "Saudi Arabia of lithium" it will need to cooperate with its neighbors to access ports. Bolivia has been landlocked since losing its coastline to Chile in the obscure War of the Pacific (1879-84).
In addition to Bolivia, Chile and Tibet also have large lithium reserves. The growth of demand for lithium is a development to keep an eye on in the next decade, and is illustrative of another point-- efforts by the West to wean itself off of oil will not likely end its dependence on other countries for natural resources.
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