A boom in small-scale gold mining in Bolivia has raised concerns about pollution from mercury used in the mining process. Researchers are citing the health impacts on downstream villages, but the government has yet to act to stem the widespread use of the highly toxic chemical.
A mining boom in mountainous Argentina, Chile and Bolivia, home to half the world’s lithium reserves, could drain vital ecosystems and deprive Indigenous communities of water.
Digging in: New initiatives aimed at “mining” materials from products already in circulation and out of the waste streams help cut extraction of natural resources.