Earth's message to humans?
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"Lithium (from the Greek word for "stone") is the third lightest element in the universe—right after hydrogen and helium," explains Bill Chameides, Dean and Nicholas Professor of the Environment at Duke University. "Today the lithium-ion combo is the battery of choice for everything from Blackberries and laptops to cars." In other words, when they found nearly 6 million tons of the stuff in Bolivia, the feeding frenzy began instantly.
Even the green crowd is clamoring for this "resource" to be exploited. Michael Graham Richard of TreeHugger writes:
According to the USGS, Bolivia has 35% of the world's lithium resources, and since in the coming years, electric cars and plug-in hybrids that use lithium-ion batteries are expected to greatly increase in numbers, this could mean big changes for Bolivia, South America's poorest country.
"Big changes," indeed. Haven't we seen this movie before? How did the whole oil thing work out? How about coal? Coltan? Palm oil? Why would anyone think mining lithium in South America's poorest country is gonna have a happy ending (except for corporate profits)? Wouldn't it be a gigantic step in a dark green direction to stop viewing natural elements as "resources" that must be immediately extracted and sold?
Imagine being part of the first human generation in centuries to work in harmony with the natural world. What a time to be alive.
WATCH VIDEO: Electric Car Conversion
Sure, Bolivia's lithium could assist in the construction of more electric cars but those vehicles will still contribute toward sprawl. Whether powered by fossil fuels or batteries, automobiles require the destruction of countless eco-systems to build highways, streets, off-ramps, parking lots, etc. So, rather than assault Bolivia's eco-system to help make cars that will assault America's eco-system, let's take transportation to the greenest levels:
3 Simple Ways to Dark Green Your Transportation
- Walk Whenever and Wherever Possible
P.S. Dig this Lithium instead...
