Chile

UN Warns Electric Automobile Rush is Causing Human Rights Abuses

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By Eric Worrall – Re-Blogged From WUWT

h/t JoNova, MaxD – The United Nations has issued a belated warning that soaring demand for raw materials for the electric vehicle revolution is creating dangerous conditions for children working in toxic mines.

UN highlights urgent need to tackle impact of likely electric car battery production boom

Electric cars are rapidly becoming more popular amongst consumers, and UNCTAD predicts that some 23 million will be sold over the coming decade: the market for rechargeable car batteries, currently estimated at $7 billion, is forecast to rise to $58 billion by 2024 .

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Expensive Climate Policies Sparked Chile Riots

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By: James Taylor – Re-Blogged From WUWT

From the unintended consequences department. The COP25 climate conference in Santiago Chile was cancelled, and now moved at the last minute to Madrid, Spain.

Climate activists and the United Nations are suffering a major black eye this week as protests and riots resulting from high energy prices have erupted in Santiago, Chile.

Chile, which will host a major U.N. climate conference in December, earned praise from climate activists for recently imposing a carbon dioxide tax on conventional energy sources and switching the Santiago Metro system to renewable power. Now, the people of Chile are rising up and firing a shot across the bow of other nations considering similar energy taxes and expensive renewable energy programs.

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Sparks Fly Between Chile and Peru

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Re-Blogged From Stratfor

Highlights

  • Chile’s relationship with Peru has improved since 2014, when the International Court of Justice issued a final ruling over their territorial dispute. That trend will continue this year as both countries prepare to connect their electricity systems.
  • Chile’s need to increase the electricity supply to its growing lithium industry will play a key role in the drive for energy integration projects with Peru.
  • Chile’s recently elected president, Sebastian Pinera, will assume office in March and is likely to continue pursuing this trend.

A map of South America shows the long-disputed borders between Chile and Peru.

(BEYHAN YAZAR/iStock)

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On the Ground in Paraguay

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By Mark Svoboda – Re-Blogged From International Man

Over the course of the last several months, we’ve followed the journeys of Mark Svoboda as he’s traveled from Singapore to Tanzania, Malaysia to Colombia. Today Mark stops off in Paraguay, where he and his wife traveled to start their residency process…

Paraguay – the Heart of America

In April of 2012, my wife and I traveled to Paraguay to start our residency process in the so-called “heart of America.” Our hope is to eventually receive a citizenship in the country without actively residing there. Since I suspect many International Man readers are, like me, interested in 1) obtaining Paraguayan residency in hopes of eventually receiving a citizenship, and 2) buying some of that cheap productive land, I thought it was high time I report on the country.

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Silver Miners’ Q1’17 Fundamentals

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By Adam Hamilton – Re-Blogged From http://www.Silver-Phoenix500.com

Silver mining is a tough business both geologically and economically.  Primary silver deposits, those with enough silver to generate over half their revenues when mined, are quite rare.  Most of the world’s silver ore formed alongside base metals or gold, and their value usually well outweighs silver’s.  So typically in any given year, less than a third of the global mined silver supply actually comes from primary silver mines!

The world authority on silver supply-and-demand fundamentals is the Silver Institute.  It recently released its highly-anticipated World Silver Survey 2017, which covers 2016.  Last year only 30% of silver mined came from primary silver mines, a slight increase.  The remaining 70% of silver produced was simply a byproduct.  35% of the total mined supply came from lead/zinc mines, 23% from copper, and 12% from gold.

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Lithium Suppliers Can’t Keep Up with Skyrocketing Demand

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By Frank Holmes – Re-Blogged From http://usfunds.com

Near the extinct volcano known as Monte Pissis, high in the Andes on the Chile-Argentina border, the air is thin and animal life scarce. It’s also a prime location for lithium, the silvery-white metal used in the production of lithium-ion batteries.

Next year, Tesla plans to make 500,000 electric cars all of which will require lithium-ion-batteries

According to Sam Pelaez, an analyst on our team who recently visited the deposit, the seasonal meltdown of the snowy peaks collects lithium, sodium and other minerals from the soil and underwater hot springs, all of which flows down to the flats and settles—hence the name salt flats or, in Spanish, salares. Over long periods of time, with seasonal temperature variations, the salt builds a crust on top of the “lake,” making for a stunning landscape. Under the crust are high concentrations of lithium.

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