A coalition of 41 civil society organisations, including Wetlands International Europe, is calling on the World Bank Group (WBG) to take extreme caution as it looks to extend its investments in transition mineral mining and processing.
As the demand for minerals rises, so does the requirement for greater due diligence for social and environmental protection. It is essential to uphold human rights, including Indigenous Peoples’ rights, protect the environment and to treat communities at the centre of mineral projects as a critical stakeholder with a right to say no to damaging projects. We are proposing practical measures to ensure that the WBG takes this forward.
For example, in 2023, the International Finance Corporation announced a loan of up to $180m to support the development of the Sal de Vida lithium extraction operation in Catamarca, Argentina. However, the Catamarca region is already over-exploited for lithium. There are nine lithium mining projects in the Salar del Hombre Muerto basin alone, resulting in cumulative environmental impacts that were not considered in the environmental assessment of the IFC-funded project. Communities call lithium extraction “mega-mining of water” due to its high water footprint. There is evidence that companies have not fully disclosed all the relevant information about foreseeable risk factors and their potential environmental impacts to the local communities.
Our regional office in Argentina reflected this particular issue of lithium mining in high Andes in Argentina in the briefing “No to water mega mining”.
For the full letter to the World Bank group, click here
CSO-Transiion-Minerals-letter-11_05_2024.pdf
download