Rarely does a country get to lay out its ideals as a nation and write a new constitution for itself. The climate and ecological crisis are not a central part.
That is, until now, in Chile, where a national reinvention is underway. 155 people have been elected to write a new constitution after months of protests over social and environmental grievances.
Their work will affect how this country is governed. It will determine the future of a soft, lustrous metal, which is found in the salt waters beneath this vast ethereal desert.
The batteries have lithium as an essential component. As the global economy seeks alternatives to fossil fuels to slow down climate change, demand and prices of lithium are soaring.
The world's second-largest lithium producer is keen to increase production, as are politicians who see mining as crucial to national prosperity. They are facing opposition from people in the country who argue that the country's economic model has failed to spread benefits to all citizens and that the country's high environmental cost has made it too expensive to do so.
It is up to the Constitutional Convention to decide what kind of country it wants to be. What voice should local communities have over mining will be decided by convention members. Should the presidential system be retained in Chile? Should nature have rights? What about the future generations?
The global dilemma over whether the world can address the climate crisis without repeating past mistakes is embedded in their discussions. "We have to assume that human activity causes damage, so how much damage do we want to cause?" asked Cristina Dorador Ortiz, a microbiologist who studies the salt flats. What is enough damage to survive?
There is water. The Convention will decide who owns the water in the country. What exactly is water?
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Gabriel Boric met with members of the Constitutional Convention.
Augusto Pinochet was the military ruler of the country when the current constitution was written. It allowed water rights to be bought and sold and opened the country to mining investments.
copper, coal, salmon, and avocados are some of the natural resources of Chile. As it became one of Latin America's richest nations, there was anger over inequality. Mineral-rich areas became known as sacrifice zones. The rivers began to dry up.
Huge protests will start in 2019. A referendum resulted in the election of a diverse panel to rewrite the constitution.
Another turning point occurred on Dec. 19 Gabriel Boric was elected president by voters. He wanted to increase mining royalties and taxes, and create a national company for lithium.
The stock price of SQM, the country's biggest lithium producer, fell 15 percent the morning after his victory.
The plant is a SQM one.
SQM is the largest producer of lithium in the world, with most of it located in the shadow of ancient volcanoes, including the oldest and still- active one, Lascar. Lascar is the father of all volcanoes according to the Lickanantay.
The mine looks like someone has spread a blue and green quilt in the middle of the desert.
The brine is rich in resources. SQM pumps out brine and freshwater from wells. Brine is carried to a series of ponds.
The sun goes to work.
The highest solar radiation levels can be found in the Atacama. Mineral deposits were left behind when water evaporated fast. The magnesium comes from the ponds. Also magnesium. The yellow green pool is where SQM converts the lithium into white carbonate for battery makers abroad.
The son-in-law of Mr. Pinochet took over the company in 1983. It has been fined by the stock market regulators in both the US and Chile for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Mr. Ponce still has 30 percent ownership.
The carbonate is used in batteries.
SQM wants to increase manufacturing capacity.
SQM is in the market. The company wants to increase its capacity from 140,000 to 180,000 tons by the year 2022. The firm wants to become carbon neutral by 2040 and reduce saltwater extract by half by 2030.
There is a reason. A court in Santiago fined the copper mine, called Escondida, $93 million for causing damage.
The mining industry is changing. The legislature is working on a law to increase royalties. Provisions that could require more local decision-making are being weighed by the Constitutional Convention.
The president of the Mining Council said that both could diminish the appeal of the country to investors. He was concerned that some of the convention members were against mining in general. He said that he hoped this was not what the Constitution would have.
The convention is likely to make water better. Is brine, the saltwater beneath the desert, technically water? It is not fit for human or animal consumption, according to mining companies.
There is a separation between the brine in the Salar de Atacama and continental water coming from the mountain.
The mining code governs brine extraction. The new constitution could change that. Brine water could be called.
Paula Espndola is a member of the Lickanantay community and lives in an Oasis in Soncor.
A lagoon covered in bright, white salt shimmers in the shadow of Lascar. Jordn Jofré Lique is a scientist who works with the Atacama Indigenous Council. A bird crosses the salt crust.
The bird is looking for food and the lake is dry. Mr. Lique is not sure why. But he is worried. The health of the salt flat is constantly worrying him, considering two major forces beyond his control: the warming of the planet and the mining industry's extraction of water here in one of the world's driest regions. The pale pink wings of the Flamingo are unfurled.
Mr. Lique knows the tracks of the salt flat. The sheep and goats were herded by his grandfather.
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He was going to work for a mining company. It was a path to a good salary. He was studying the effects of mining on his land. He said it could have been an act of God or life's circumstances.
Some Indigenous people say mining companies have divided their communities with offers of money and jobs. Some people don't like Mr. Lique's organization because it accepts research funds from an American company that also mines.
The group has installed a number of sensors to measure water levels. The mixing zone is a sensitive environment where freshwater and saltwater coexist. Mr. Lique thinks the ponds heat the air.
Mr. Lique is using a device to measure the water's salt content.
The SQM plant hasporation ponds.
There is evidence of a correlation between the expansion of the mining industry and the drying of the area.
The population of Andean Flamingos has declined in the Atacama since 1997, but their numbers have not. The park Ranger in charge of the Flamingo reserves suspects climate change. Ms. Castro said that each lake system is essential and must deliver its optimal water-table levels.
The flora and fauna remain healthy according to the monitors of SQM.
There are many surprises in the Atacama. The ground is so dry that it is craggy. The landscape suddenly changes, with ankle-high shrubs or a forest of towering tamarugo trees. A dirt road leads through the bare hills, depositing you in a ravine with mountain spring water.
The effects of climate change are being seen by Mr. Lique. The water on his family's farm is quickly disappearing. One patch of alfalfa didn't grow this year. The corn is not long.
Mr. Lique is worried that the equilibrium of sun, earth and water could be changed by the brine's removal. He said that the best scenario was that it wouldn't get worse. The worst scenario is that everything dries up.
Dr. Dorador is a member of the Constitutional Convention.
The member of the Constitutional Convention walks through the market in her hometown. She told the man that the Constitution was the most important law in the country.
He listens respectfully.
The assembly is discussing water, housing, and health care. A draft constitution by July is what she explains.
A man is yelling out the price of corn. A person is selling animals. A woman talks about her shoulder pain. Some people tell her they don't have time.
The salt flats have been home to many different types of organisms for millions of years. She said that they can learn a lot about climate change from studying the salares. You can find clues of the past and the future.
Dr. Dorador is a candidate for president. She wants the constitution to recognize that humans are part of nature. She bristled when asked if it was necessary to pivot away from fossil fuel extraction. She says that the world should stop burning oil and gas, but not by ignoring the unknown ecological costs. Someone buys an electric car and feels good because they are saving the planet. Entire ecosystems are damaged at the same time. It is a big contradiction.
The questions facing this Convention are not unique to Chile. The world is facing the same dilemma as it deals with climate change and biodiversity loss.
Maisa Rojas is a climate scientist at the University of Chile. Our institutions are not ready.
John contributed information.
There is a pond in the Salar de Atacama.
