EU green tech homehoring plans face resistance in Spain
Not a warm welcome for the glam-clad guests arriving for the Cáceres Spanish Film Festival. “No to the mine! Yes to life!” a few hundred protesters chant, lining up on both sides of the street leading to the Grand Theatre. “Cáceres is not for sale!” They scream. “The shame!”
How did a local film festival get involved in a mining dispute? It all has to do with a sponsor of the event, Extremadura New Energies, the company that intends to produce 467,000 tons of lithium hydroxide for batteries over 26 years, mining the land a few kilometers from the theater. The company hopes that such foundation-funded gestures will convince the community of its honorable intentions. Mine activists at Plataforma Salve Cáceres see this as a cheap ploy.
Cáceres is a sleepy town of 100,000, popular with tourists for its UNESCO-recognized Old Town. It is located in the poorest region of Spain – rural and often neglected Extremadura, on the Portuguese border. About six years ago, it also joined the growing list of European communities engaged in a geopolitically charged race for global resources.
Race for ‘white gold’ reaches Europe
Lithium is a metal used in high-performance batteries, essential for carbon-reducing technologies such as solar panels and electric vehicles, as well as smartphones and laptops. Australia, Chile and China are the world’s largest producers, with 90% of the market, according to data from the World Economic Forum. Its extraction, particularly in the salt flats of South America, has been linked to environmental degradation, water scarcity and – in Bolivia – strong political reaction.
On Thursday, the EU Commission unveiled regulation aimed at lessening import dependency for so-called critical materials needed to future-proof technology. executive arm of the EU set a 2030 target for the EU to extract at least 10% of the strategic critical raw materials, such as lithium and cobalt, that the bloc consumes within its own borders, whenever possible. By the end of the decade, the EU should meet 15% of its own recycling needs and also 40% of its material processing needs. In addition, the bloc must diversify its suppliers, mainly to reduce dependence on China..
Source: DW
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.