Lithium is the 30th most abundant element on earth. The largest deposit of lithium is in the oceans. Most of it is in asia.

The largest miner of lithium is Argentina and then Chile then China.

Bolivia doesnt even mine any lithium!

An electric vehicle needs only 1 kg of lithium.

And that lithium is recyclable easily.

This article is writen for leftist post-colonials and nationalist socialists so they will bash any lithium consumer as "imperialist" "colonialist" and other simplistic reductionist nonsense.

China is the largest consumer of lithium.

There is more lithium on earth than copper and tin combined.

Trillions of EV batteries can be built with just a fraction of lithium in known reserves.

Sorry leftists reductionists - we will NOT run out of lithium. Now go and get a life!

To say that Evo Morales is a Socialist is a stretch.

And to say that he is wary of foreign companies is utter nonsense. Foreign companies have fared much better with Morales's so-called "nationalization" than before.

Now that is an story worth researching.

By the way, French corporation Bolloré has recently signed a deal with the Bolivian Government.

Is it true that by virtue of this deal only Bolloré´s technology can be used in the exploitation of lithium in Uyuni and that other companies that wish to develop the salt lands need to get a license from Bolloré?

Again, a story worth researching...

"Lithium may very well be the secret to reducing the world’s disastrous dependence on oil"

Batteries store energy, they don't make it. This statement shamelessly overstates their utility to promote this article. I know it isn't a journalist's job to stay up with the technical aspects of energy production, but claiming that something is "the secret" to this problem is quite foolish. Perhaps someone with financial interest in lithium batteries suggested it to the author. In that case it not only falsely promotes the author's agenda but the company's as well.

The article is badly researched as there is no shortage of lithium. The only reason there are few sources of it is there has been little demand for it.

We have a lifetime supply here in the US.

So Bolivia needs to get off their high horse to exploit this or the world will pass them by..

I maintain a blog, "Ranking America" that provides global rankings in lots of categories, including lithium reserves: http://rankingamerica.wordpress.com/2009/02/02/the-us-ranks-7th-in-lithium-reserves/

Off topic I realize, but in the photo essay in picture 7 of the Agua Brava hotsprings, is that a cruise missile? Looks a lot like a Tomahawk...
Just curious.