Lithium Lust and Dry Days Ahead
Canada's Net Zero Goals and the Global South: The Rocky Road to a Greener Future
by taller ahuehuete
✎ 4 minutes
Lithium Lust and Dry Days Ahead
Renewable energy technologies constituted a prominent portion of Canada's primary energy supply, accounting for about 17.3% of the country's total energy mix as of 20191. On the other hand, southward, in eastern Mexico, the recent droughts in San Luis Potosí have resulted in significant consequences, impacting local communities.
As Western nation-states aim to reduce carbon emissions and embrace 'sustainable' technologies, lithium emerged as the white gold of our age. The metal is highly prized for its lightweight and exceptional energy storage capabilities. Its prominence in manufacturing solar panels, phone batteries, and batteries for electric vehicles has made it a paramount component in the Global North's quest for 'renewable' energy and 'sustainable' solutions.
In the dynamic world of mineral extraction and capitalist accumulation, the Canadian Silver Valley Metals — formerly known as Organimax Nutrient — has embarked on a significant project in Mexico, aiming to advance its MexiCan lithium-sulfate of potash venture in the states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. The project includes a partnership negotiation with the Mexican state lithium company, LitioMx.
Silver Valley Metals holds a strategic position in the region's salt flats, with projects covering an area of 4,060 hectares. The potential for resource extraction has attracted the attention of investors, leading Silver Valley Metals to pursue financing through a private placement of up to CDN$ 700,000 (US$531,000)2. While Silver Valley Metals seeks to capitalize on Mexican deposits, its market competitors, such as the Canadian firms Advance Lithium Corp. and Silver Valley Metal Corp. equally seek lithium, potash, and boron in the country.
Wirikuta
The MexiCan project directly impacts the ancestral lands of the Wixárika originary people, one of the oldest surviving indigenous groups in the nation-state, who have inhabited the Sierra Madre Occidental — in what is now central Mexico — for centuries. The Wixárika share a spiritual and cultural connection to the land and sacred sites. Nonetheless, the community continuously reports to the Congreso Nacional Indígena3, a Zapatista-affiliated organization, the periodic threats they face from mining interests, significantly by the activities initiated by First Majestic Silver Corp., which have jeopardized their consecrated site, Wirikuta.
Wirikuta, a sacred desert in the mountains of central Mexico, holds immense spiritual significance. Every year, the Wixárika community conducts a pilgrimage to Wirikuta, a journey spanning approximately 250 miles (400 kilometers) from Jalisco to San Luis Potosí, led by maraka'ames, the shamans of the community. Throughout the pilgrimage, the Wixárika people collect peyote, a cactus known for its hallucinogenic properties, used to commune directly with their ancestors and deities, forming a deep connection. Despite the sacred and cultural importance of the site, the presence of the mining company First Majestic Silver’s and its nearby operations have led to resource exploitation and environmental deterioration in the area.
As mining proceeds, ecosystems and water sources are put in the background, affecting the livelihoods of local communities and the provinces' biodiversity. The use of hazardous substances such as cyanide in the mining process alarms land defenders and the communities who rely on these grounds for sustenance.
Canadian companies own the vast majority (74%) of mining concessions in Mexico. A tax credit introduced by Justin Trudeau to promote investments in ‘green’ energy projects offers financial incentives for businesses to sponsor 'clean' manufacturing, electricity generating, and carbon capture projects. Canada's federal budget allocated nearly $83 billion over the next decade to achieve the country's ambitious goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.
Meanwhile, scientists expect Mexico to experience more frequent and prolonged droughts. The nation-state is ranked 24th for water stress by the World Resources Institute, indicating that the water demand exceeds the available supply. The annual rainfall levels have significantly decreased from 10,000 cubic meters in 1960 to only 4,000 since 20124. The territory is particularly vulnerable to droughts, with 52% of its landmass in arid or semi-arid climates.
Over the past decade, water scarcity has increased in frequency, intensity, and duration5. 71% of droughts in 2021 ranked as severe or extreme, and some reached exceptional levels, leading to a total scarcity of water in various states. Nevertheless, we extend our congratulations to Canada for its environmental efforts. The future is green — for some.
"Renewable energy facts". Natural Resources Canada. 2019-10-02.
Silver Valley has submitted documents to the TSX Venture Exchange seeking conditional approval for a private placement financing. In a private placement, the company offers its securities (such as stocks or bonds) to a select group of investors rather than the general public.
Congreso Nacional Indígena. CONFERENCIA DE PRENSA DIGNIDAD WIXÁRIKA FRENTE A PALACIO NACIONAL, and other communiqués. 2022-2023.
Rodriguez-Cuevas, Clemente, Arturo Hernández-Antonio, Carlos Couder-Castañeda, Jorge Hernández, and Diego Padilla-Perez. 2022. "Hydrodynamical Assessment of the Recent Droughts at Gallinas River in San Luis Potosí México and Its Impact on the Waterfall Tamul" Water 14, no. 23: 3877. doi.org/10.3390/w14233877
Studnicki-Gizbert, Daviken. “Exhausting the Sierra Madre: Mining Ecologies in Mexico over the Longue Durée.” Mining North America (2019).