News of Note 1/31/25: Atacama Lithium Impacts, Nickel in Indonesia, Columbia Drilling Violations
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As lithium mining bleeds Atacama salt flat dry, Indigenous communities hit back (Mongabay)
“The findings of the study [by the Council of Atacameño Peoples (CPA), an association that represents 18 Indigenous communities] not only contradict the mining companies’ statements, but could lead to a review of their environmental permits “by virtue of aspects that the environmental assessment failed to observe or take into consideration,” says Sergio Chamorro, a lawyer and legal adviser to the CPA. The objective of the legal complaint, according to Chamorro, is to monitor and sanction those responsible for causing the subsidence.
The people who live where nickel is mined (News Decoder)
"Indonesia’s nickel reserves now account for 42.3% of the world’s total reserves… But nickel ore in Indonesia is often found in shallow deposits, which can only be extracted when the existing forests have been cut down. And in these dense forests live the O’Hongana Manyawa indigenous people, or the “People of the forest.” Often referred to as the Tobelo Dalam, they are one of the remaining hunter-gatherer and nomadic tribes in Indonesia today."
Inter-American Court rules Colombia drilling violated native rights (AFP)
"Colombian state's authorization of seven resource extraction projects in and around an U'wa reservation [...] violated rights to collective property, political participation, participation in cultural life and a healthy environment, among others, "to the detriment of the U'wa Indigenous people," the ruling said."
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Panama’s vast Cobre mine is closed. So why is their security still restricting access to local villages? (The Guardian)
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Cultural Survival Strongly Condemns the Eviction of the Lof Pailako in Argentina (Cultural Survival)
Xinka Parliament Calls Out Pan American Silver Obstruction of Escobal Mine Consultation (Earthworks)
Yanomami sees success two years into Amazon miner evictions, but fears remain (Mongabay)