Lithium is a non-renewable resource in high demand to support the transition to a low carbon economy.
“The problem is that, in the Salar de Atacama, in addition to the changes caused by climate change across the region, lithium mining is reducing water levels and increasing disturbances for flamingos,” explained Dr. Jorge Gutiérrez, an ecologist at the Universidad de Extremadura who led the study. The researchers are concerned that this may not last, as the demand for lithium mining is growing at an exponential rate. Overall, however, the flamingo population has not yet declined. When a lake’s water levels are low, food levels decrease, leaving less opportunity for breeding flamingos. The impacts of a shrinking lake directly impact breeding flamingos. Remote sensing data was also used to identify changes in water levels and food availability within each lake.
The lithium metal is powering the world's electric vehicles, making it a critical component in the fight against carbon pollution. According to a new study ...
Lithium’s global demand has increased in the past few decades due to its application in electric vehicles, mobile phones, and electronic storage devices. The research looked at the impacts of lithium mining and climate change on shallow, saltwater lakes in the Chilean Andes, where flamingos congregate for eating and mating. Meanwhile, the region is home to three flamingo lifeforms: Andean, James’ and Chilean, two of which breed nowhere else on the planet and are the backbone of the region’s tourist sector. The authors established their findings on 30 years of flamingo counts conducted by citizen scientists and Chilean government biologists all over five saline lakes. This means years with sufficient water for flamingos to breed occur less frequently and fewer flamingos are now present, even when there is enough water. Lithium is powering the world’s electric vehicles, making it a critical component in the fight against carbon pollution.