Slashdot Mirror
Bolivia Is the Saudi Arabia of Lithium
tcd004 writes "You can literally scrape valuable lithium off the ground of many Bolivian salt flats. The country is poised to be the center of world lithium battery production, reaping the benefit of the metal's skyrocketing value. 'The US Geological Survey says 5.4 million tons of lithium could potentially be extracted in Bolivia, compared with 3 million in Chile, 1.1 million in China and just 410,000 in the United States. ... Ailing automakers in the United States are pinning their hopes on lithium. General Motors next year plans to roll out its Volt, a car using a lithium-ion battery along with a gas engine. Nissan, Ford and BMW, among other carmakers, have similar projects.' However, the government fears foreign countries might exploit their natural resources, so for the time being, the salt flats remain untouched."
Wow, a linux analogy for a car on slashdot? I think I've seen it all now.
When do we start bombing the country?
Strip-mining prevents forest fires.
Well, Bolivia has other resources. Heck, I'm betting that one of the problems with opening up the salt flats for lithuim harvesting, is the cocaine industry there. I'm guessing they don't want the competition for US dollars?
The cocaine industry is already pissed at the lithium industry, ever since they convinced GM to cancel their cocaine-powered vehicle, the Chevy White Horse, and their proposed cocaine-heroin hybrid, the Saturn Speedball (to be called the Belushi in the North American market), in favor of the Volt.
The enemies of Democracy are
Is this sounding like a familiar political system?
I read about such a thing in school. I hope they bring it to the USA one day. ;)