A comparative study on the impacts of lithium extraction on mining communities in Argentina and Zimbabwe

This project will assess the social, economic, and ecological impacts and dynamics of lithium extraction in two important producer countries, Argentina and Zimbabwe, both of which have experienced rising contestation among mining-affected communities, local authorities, national governments, and mining companies around local participation, environmental and health risks. We aim to address knowledge gaps around the risks and regulation of current and planned lithium mining by undertaking multifactorial research involving key local stakeholders. Our overall objective is to inform and support policy debates and emerging government strategies on critical minerals (CMs) by strengthening evidence on the dynamics and impacts of lithium extraction around taxation, community inclusion, and redistribution; beneficiation and provisions for local content; and the impacts of state capacity weaknesses for lithium regulation and strategic planning. We adopt a comparative approach to account for both context-specific differences and historical and current transitional injustices that link social, economic and environmental impacts of lithium extraction. This comparative framing will facilitate the assessment of different technologies and scales of lithium extraction, including mature and new lithium projects, to inform and strengthen community and stakeholder capacity to engage national governments and lithium miners, processors, and traders. More broadly, the research will contribute directly to scholarly debates on the experiences of CM’s extraction and value chains in the Global South, and emerging development strategies proposed by Southern governments and domestic stakeholders.

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