Abstract
While the People's Republic of China currently secures much of its lithium from countries such as Australia and Chile, a new prospecting boom is currently underway in eastern areas of Tibet. China's geologists have estimated that the region holds over 3.6 million tonnes of lithium, at least 85% of the country's total reserves. Both Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer, and its Chinese competitor BYD are becoming increasingly reliant on Tibet's lithium production as they expand their operations worldwide. This acceleration of lithium mining involves polluting, waste-generating and energy-intensive processing in an area known for its rich biodiversity encompassing subtropical, temperate and alpine landscapes. U.S. investor Warren Buffett's 2008 purchase of BYD shares enabled the company to exploit the Chabyer (Chinese: Zabuye) salt lake in western Tibet. The future of Elon Musk's Tesla gigafactory outside Shanghai looks increasingly dependent on access to the hard rock lithium (spodumene) deposits in mountainous eastern Tibet and its processing plants. Tibetans who express concern about the mines or protest are at risk of being killed, tortured, imprisoned and the loss of their livelihoods.
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