Lithium – new gold rush in the Andes

High in the Andes mountains, mining companies are gearing up for the massive extraction of lithium – the raw material of the future. In  Bolivia, lies the Salar De Uyuni salt flat, under which lies the world’s largest lithium reserves. A huge deposit of lithium that could power the electric vehicles of the new energy revolution.

Despite this wealth, local residents are still being excluded from the profits, and German investors who are planning to extract the lithium haven’t yet worked out a deal with Bolivia’s government. In our documentary, award-winning ARD Latin America correspondent, Matthias Ebert, provides an in-depth look at the technical and environmental problems involved in lithium mining in the Andes. He also investigates the efforts of local residents to secure a fair share of the profits they helped create. Be sure to tune in for the full story.