9 Amazing Facts About Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni That Will Blow Your Mind (And #6 Even Surprises Locals!)

4. The Lithium Capital of the World

Bolivia is the "Saudi Arabia of lithium" since beneath the salt crust sits around 50% to 70% of the world's reserves. Under the salt crust, this crucial mineral—which is used in batteries for electric cars, cellphones, and laptops—exists in concentrated brine. With an estimated 9 million tonnes of lithium, a mineral becoming more and more important as the world moves to electric cars and renewable energy, the Salar has But Bolivia's cautious approach to lithium mining—giving environmental protection and local benefits top priority—has meant that this enormous resource is still mostly unrealised.

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Strategic management of this resource by the government entails the development of environmentally friendly extraction techniques that reduce effect while optimising local community economic gains. Environmental experts and international technology firms are working with Bolivian authorities to create creative extraction methods that might transform the worldwide lithium sector. Full-scale lithium production has the potential to revolutionise Bolivia's economy and maybe bring in billions of yearly income. The difficulty, then, is juggling environmental preservation with economic growth and making sure local populations gain from this priceless resource. Recent developments in lithium extraction have created new opportunities for more ecologically friendly mining technologies including those that lower water use and chemical usage by means of which.