How much is the dirty money of lithium worth: Ore exploitation destroys the environment and health, drinking water and survival!

(Patria) - Although it was triumphantly announced as the oil of the 21st century, lithium is actually a scourge because of which the 22nd century could be a time of the most severe ecological disasters and health phenomena related to the exploitation of ores from which lithium is extracted.

Lithium exploitation is a process that has a great impact on the environment and society. Lithium is essential for the production of batteries used in electric vehicles, smart grids, and other devices that reduce carbon dioxide emissions. However, lithium exploitation also has negative consequences.

Among these consequences is the enormous consumption of large quantities of water, which can lead to drought, pollution, and reduced availability of drinking water and water for use by the population near the exploitation site.

The risk of destroying natural habitats and biodiversity is also not negligible, especially in areas where lithium is obtained from salt lakes or mines, and there is also the creation of waste containing harmful chemicals, such as chlorides, sulfates, heavy metals, and radioactive elements.

Local communities are most often not consulted when decisions are made about lithium exploitation, and their benefit from this exploitation, when they are forced to accept it, is minimal.

It is clear that lithium exploitation is a complex and controversial issue that requires balancing economic, environmental, and social aspects.

There is also the additional problem that lithium is exploited by multinational corporations with private capital, which do not care much about the consequences, and invest even less in the development of technologies that would make this exploitation ecologically and socially acceptable.

In Chile, in the Atacama Desert, lies the world's largest source of lithium, and exploitation has led to a decrease in groundwater levels, soil erosion, loss of flora and fauna, and conflicts with indigenous communities living in the area.

Large quantities of lithium are also found in the Chinese province of Qinghai, where exploitation has caused pollution of lakes and rivers, damage to agricultural land, and endangerment of the health and safety of workers in the mines.

Problems due to lithium mining have also been recorded in Argentina, specifically in the province of Jujuy, which is part of the so-called lithium triangle. There have been great tensions between the government, mining companies, and indigenous peoples, who oppose this project due to fears of losing their culture, land, and water.

The closest and best-known case for us is from Serbia, where in the municipality of Loznica, the opening of the largest lithium mine in Europe was planned. The excavation was to be carried out by the company Rio Tinto, but the citizens' revolt, fearing the project, stopped this story.

Mass protests spread from Loznica to the whole of Serbia due to concerns for the environment, health, and the future of their region. The Serbian government eventually had no choice but to revoke the permits until all necessary studies for lithium exploitation were completed.

Therefore, citizens, environmental activists, and authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina should understand the announced lithium exploitation in our country as a potential threat to our environment and survival, and all together weigh whether the money mentioned in the stories about lithium is worth destroying the potential of drinking water, which is also a treasure of the modern age. If we add all the enumerated dangers to that, it is clear that money cannot compensate for that loss.

And the experiences of others show that it is a minor amount of money compared to the profit of those who exploit the wealth that belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina and all of us in it!

After all, can the exploitation of such a harmful ore be justified while we are being forced to close coal mines that we have lived with for as long as we have existed?

(R. Be.)