On 24 March, the Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (CHREN), in partnership with the IBSS Chair, Germanwatch and International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), hosted a panel on the challenges of a just energy transition, focusing on lithium extraction in the Andean salt flats of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile (ABC). The panelists discussed the environmental and social costs of decarbonization and reflected on what a just energy transition would require in practice.
The keynote was delivered by José Aylwin of Observatorio Ciudadano, who presented ongoing research on the human rights impacts of lithium extraction in the ABC region. During his presentation Alwwin highlighted both the environmental consequences of lithium mining, particularly its effects on water availability and its social impacts on people living in these territories. The discussion also placed the region within a broader global supply chain, noting that a large share of lithium extracted in the ABC countries is exported to China, where battery production is concentrated, before reaching industrialized markets in Europe and elsewhere.
The panel highlighted that the development of the lithium industry in the Andean salt flats raises serious concerns not only for the right to a healthy environment, but also for Indigenous peoples’ rights and for access to information, participation and justice in environmental matters. The presentation also emphasized the need to advance due diligence standards not only for companies and the national states, but also for the countries that are the main consumers of lithium extracted in the ABC region. A further concern raised during the discussion was the uneven capacity of different voices to make their perspectives visible in public debate, even though that debate is central to decision-making on lithium development. The Observatorio Ciudadano, founded in Chile in 2004, works precisely on these issues, documenting rights violations and supporting affected communities through advocacy at both national and international levels. The event was moderated by Cléo Wloczysiak (FIDH) and included comments from Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor (FAU Nürnberg) and Dr. Svenja Schöneich (Germanwatch).
In the following day, a small workshop with selected participants created additional space to continue the exchange and plan future collaboration. Among the themes discussed were the role of China in the global lithium value chain and Germanwatch’s work on lithium governance, corporate accountability and due diligence in the context of a just energy transition.
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