The global political ecology of lithium commodity chain (LITHIUM)

The shift towards a 'green economy' implies a 'new energy paradigm', a transition from fossil-fuel dependency to a sustainable low-carbon economy. Part of this change is contingent upon batteries for grid-balancing the intermittent electricity supply from renewable sources (e.g. wind, solar) and for electric vehicles. Due to their ability to store large amounts of energy in lightweight compact form, lithium-based technologies are now at the cutting-edge of research and development in energy storage. Reflecting this interest, the global demand for lithium is expected to multiply tenfold by 2050 and its price is increasing rapidly. Lithium has become one of the planet's most strategic commodities.As a natural commodity it is in many ways unique. It is relatively rare in nature and 70% of the world's exploitable reserves are located in the salares (salt flats) of three countries, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile (the so-called 'ABC' of lithium-rich countries), in socially and environmentally sensitive indigenous and high-altitude areas. The market configuration is also peculiar, with a very small number of firms producing the metal, and an equally small number of countries processing it in consumer goods such as portable consumer electronics. And it offers specific challenges for recycling given the premises of a circular economy (that consider the entire cycle of a product).From production to recycling, many issues could challenge the sustainable functioning of the lithium commodity chain: environmental, technological, legal, social and policy issues at the local-national level; market failures, strategic behavior and oligopoly at the international level; and a risk of lithium contributing to a 'throw away' instead of a sustainable society in consumer countries. Unless these issues are examined there are risks that a new reliance on lithium could contribute, instead of to a new 'green economy', to reinforcing mechanisms that produce the social and environmental problems that characterize the current 'brown economy' (fossil-fuel dependent).In light of this, our aim is to take stock of the lithium commodity chain from a political ecology and a governance perspectives. Can lithium, as a symbolic commodity for the green economy, be produced and consumed in a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable way? What are the implications of present and future market configurations for the metal? And what are the obstacles for a sound governance regime of this natural resource?This research is innovative in different aspects. It brings both empirical and theoretical contributions by producing a comprehensive, multi-level and interdisciplinary understanding of the lithium commodity chain, and developing a theoretical framework for global natural resources under the new paradigm of a green economy. What we have now is a very fragmentary view. While significant technical research on lithium as a metal has been conducted, there is very little research on the full commodity chain, on the social and environmental aspects of its extraction and consumption, on water issues, and on a regional comparison of the situation in the ABC countries. And while there are many studies of the market for lithium, none integrates all of these factors. Seeking to address these limitations, this project proposes to examine the global political ecology of lithium. Specifically, our purpose is to understand how governance processes and socio-environmental conditions at different levels are influenced by the global commodity chain of lithium, from ABC countries to Switzerland (as a high-end consumer country). The project builds on existing research collaborations and prior field experience. We seek to contribute to a strand of literature in political ecology, development and governance studies, as well as at the policy level. Concrete outputs include contributing to the research cluster on commodities in Switzerland, strengthening an international network of research partners, training of one post-doc, one PhD, and 4 master students, producing up to 6 scientific papers and interacting with policy-makers.