Lithium mining and its consequences for the environment

Every morning, Mr. Nelson Gomes wakes up to work in a heavy mood. He wondered how long he could keep the cattle on the farm. The majority of the people in Covas do Barroso, northeastern Portugal, make their living from raising livestock, but that will soon change when the mines lithium mining grow here.

“We are talking about large-scale lithium mines, the amount of rock being excavated, the huge amount of water that requires noise. And we live right next to the mining area,” said Mr. Nelson. Gomes said.

Portugal is said to have the largest lithium reserves in Europe. Lithium is used to make batteries for electric cars, so lithium mining is also part of the solution to reducing CO2 emissions, responding to global warming.

In the framework of the European Green Agreement, the Portuguese Ministry of Environment and Climate Action has committed to help Europe meet the bloc’s lithium needs. To date, the Portuguese Environment Ministry has given the green light to lithum mining in six different regions of the country and identified nine exploration areas in search of lithium, what it calls “white gold”.

Mr. Nelson Gomes is worried about living near a lithium mining area

It is worth mentioning that many of these areas are located among nature reserves and therefore face resistance from the people. But not everyone understands the consequences of lithium mining, especially the elderly.

One resident said: “Some say it will create jobs and we need jobs.”

For Mr. Nelson Gomes, he understood that mining lithium was crucial to meeting climate goals, but he also knew the cost was too high. “We have a healthy and sustainable lifestyle here, if they mine our land and destroy everything then I wonder what will happen to the area after the lithium mines stop. work”.

Four years ago, the Covas do Barroso area was recognized by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization as a world agricultural heritage because the people here live and cultivate in harmony with nature. A life in harmony with nature is also something that the people here do not want to trade.

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