Lithium production and prices have skyrocketed amid an EV boom, as have the expectations of poverty-stricken communities near lithium plants. But there are growing concerns about the impact on groundwater sources in regions already prone to extended droughts, with recent evidence of tree and flamingo die-offs
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: The turquoise glimmer of open-air pools contrasts sharply with the dazzling white of salt flats in Latin America's "lithium triangle," where hope resides for a better life fueled by a metal bonanza.