Living Minerals of Chile’s Atacama: Ecosystems vs. Mining

In this episode, we welcome Javiera Barandiarán, a persistent advocate for environmental justice, as she shares insights from her research regarding the Puna de Atacama of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. We explore the delicate ecosystems of the Atacama Desert and the challenges posed by lithium mining. Javiera discusses her upcoming book, "Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium," and delves into the importance of restorative environmental work, the complexities of environmental justice, and the urgent need for sustainable practices in a rapidly changing world. Join us for an enlightening conversation that reveals the intricate connections between nature, community, and the vagaries of capitalism. We include musical interludes from Illapu [https://illapu.cl/], a Chilean folk and Andean musical ensemble that was formed in 1971 in Antofagasta. They are known for their participation in the Nueva Canción Chilena movement and their exile under the Pinochet regime. Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio Javiera Barandiarán PhD [https://www.global.ucsb.edu/people/javiera-barandiaran] is an Associate Professor in the Global Studies program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Barandiarán received her Ph.D. in 2013 from the University of California, Berkeley in Environmental Science, Policy and Management. She holds a Masters in Public Policy also from Berkeley and received her B.A. in politics from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. For her work on lithium she was selected for a Bellagio Residency by the Rockefeller Foundation and a Berlin Prize from the American Academy. Her research has been awarded support from the National Science Foundation, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, Chile's National Agency for Science (ANID) and others. Her work explores the intersection of science, environment, and development in Latin America. She is Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Restorative Environmental Work (CREW) [https://crew.global.ucsb.edu/] Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes a column on PBS SoCal called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs. Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats Episode 268 Photo credit: American Academy in Berlin