The Atacama holds 40% of the world's lithium – an essential ingredient in the rechargeable batteries used in green technology. Indigenous leaders and scientists say Chile's plans to feed a global green energy boom with lithium will kill the desert","webPublicationDate":"2020-02-18T10:39:38.000Z","supportingContent":[],"discussionApiUrl":"https://discussion.theguardian.com/discussion-api","byline":" Phoebe Greenwood Christopher Cherry Maca Minguell Charlie Phillips Laurence Topham Tracy McVeigh","showByline":false,"snapData":{},"isBoosted":true,"isCrossword":false,"showQuotedHeadline":false,"showLivePlayable":false,"mainMedia":{"type":"Video","id":"818b0e42-bb65-497e-8a82-1c95f817769f","videoId":"mOarAULpCwQ","duration":715,"title":"Will green technology kill Chile's deserts? – video","width":500,"height":300,"origin":"The Guardian","expired":false,"images":[{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/ee2e8526d73b5d63ca3807d73739c63316da7236/0_0_1920_1080/1000.jpg","width":1000},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/ee2e8526d73b5d63ca3807d73739c63316da7236/0_0_1920_1080/500.jpg","width":500},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/ee2e8526d73b5d63ca3807d73739c63316da7236/0_0_1920_1080/140.jpg","width":140},{"url":"https://media.guim.co.uk/ee2e8526d73b5d63ca3807d73739c63316da7236/0_0_1920_1080/1920.jpg","width":1920}]},"isExternalLink":false,"showMainVideo":true,"image":{"src":"https://media.guim.co.uk/ee2e8526d73b5d63ca3807d73739c63316da7236/86_0_1800_1080/master/1800.jpg","altText":"The Atacama in northern Chile is the driest desert in the world, and may be the oldest. It also holds 40% of the world's lithium – an essential ingredient in the rechargeable batteries used in green technology. Indigenous leaders and scientists say Chile's plans to feed a global green energy boom with Atacama lithium will kill the desert. As violent protests rock the country, they are fighting for the mining to stop "}},{"format":{"display":0,"theme":0,"design":4},"dataLinkName":"media | group-0 | card-@8","url":"/global-development/video/2019/jan/08/we-need-free-period-products-in-schools-its-a-human-right-video","headline":"'We need free period products in schools – it's a human right'","trailText":"

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