Is “Sustainable Lithium” a Myth? Insights from Living Minerals | Dr. Javiera Barandiarán

Dr. Javiera Barandiarán, Associate Professor in the Global Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, shares key insights from her book, “Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium.” In this episode, Dr. Javiera Barandiarán, Associate Professor in the Global Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, unpacks the central arguments of her book Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium by showing how lithium is never “just” a resource, but something whose meaning, measurement, and governance are shaped by politics, markets, and competing visions of the future. Drawing on research that began with student activism in Chile and deep archival work on state–industry partnerships, she explains lithium’s “ontological fluidity,” the contested nature of reserve estimates, and the way resource nationalism operates in both Chile and the United States. She then shifts the frame from a narrow question of supply (“Is there enough lithium?”) to a life-centered question about ecological limits, extinction, and exhaustion in places like the Atacama Desert, while critiquing today’s EV-led “transition” as still highly extractive. The conversation closes with pathways forward, rights of nature, meaningful mining no-go zones, reforming environmental impact assessments, and prioritizing reduction and reuse arguing that real climate action must center justice, ecosystems, and long-term viability rather than only technological substitution. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music incorporated in this video is the intellectual property of its respective developer and is protected under applicable copyright laws. Notwithstanding that it is a free-to-use version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy, and Deepak Bhatt do not own, and expressly do not claim, any rights, title, or interest in or to this music. B. Dr. Javiera Barandiarán shared insightful perspectives from her acclaimed book “Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium”, during her engaging conversation on the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted content, so changing any graphics, music, or on-screen appearance of the author or host is not allowed.