智利锂矿：绿色能源背后的水战争
Beneath the glaring sun of Chile’s Salar de Atacama, a vast mosaic of turquoise and emerald pools stretches toward the Andes. These evaporation ponds, brimming with mineral-rich brine, represent the world’s largest source of lithium—the silvery metal powering the globe’s shift to electric vehicles. As global demand surges, the quiet desert has become a battleground where billion-dollar industrial ambitions collide with fragile ecosystems and indigenous rights.
The extraction process is deceptively simple: brine, pumped from deep aquifers, is concentrated over eighteen months through solar evaporation, then refined into battery-grade lithium carbonate. Yet the economics are anything but straightforward. Multinational giants, notably SQM and Albemarle, have long operated under a framework of lease agreements and swingeing royalties, yet they face mounting pressure to renegotiate terms as metals prices oscillate wildly. A sustained bull run has heightened the stakes, with lithium futures at times quadrupling before retreating, underscoring the market’s volatility and the strategic importance of securing long-term supply contracts with battery makers in Europe and Asia.
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