‘Bolivian demonstrators protest against agreements allowing foreign companies to exploit lithium in Bolivia’, 14 February 2025

...A group of protesters in Bolivia disrupted a government conference on Thursday at which lithium mining contracts with Chinese and Russian companies were being discussed. Bolivians say the country's lithium, the largest reserve on the planet, should benefit the Bolivian people and that the deals were made without consulting indigenous communities, which is a legal requirement. Lithium mining causes soil degradation and water scarcity, and disrupts local ecosystems...