Our Research Converging trends in climate change, mining, and agriculture: Analysis of hydrosocial relations over desalination and glaciers in Chile

An aerial shot of a mine with a visual representation of the amount of copper extracted compared to the footprint of the extraction

A visual representation of the amount of copper extracted from South Africa's Palabora Mine compared to the footprint of the extraction site itself (By Dillon Marsh, http://dillonmarsh.com/fwiw.html)

A mine in the high Andes, surrounded by snow

A mine in the high Andes, surrounded by snow

Bar graph showing water consumption in Chile's cooper mines 2009-18

Consumption of water in the copper mining industry, Chile, 2009-2018 (liters/second)

A graphic depcting hydrosocial displacements

The framework of hydrosocial displacements used in this work indicates that unless harms to water are removed altogether, attempts to fix them often simply transform or move them somewhere else

An aerial shot of a mine with a visual representation of the amount of copper extracted compared to the footprint of the extraction

A visual representation of the amount of copper extracted from South Africa's Palabora Mine compared to the footprint of the extraction site itself (By Dillon Marsh, http://dillonmarsh.com/fwiw.html)

A mine in the high Andes, surrounded by snow

A mine in the high Andes, surrounded by snow

Bar graph showing water consumption in Chile's cooper mines 2009-18

Consumption of water in the copper mining industry, Chile, 2009-2018 (liters/second)

A graphic depcting hydrosocial displacements

The framework of hydrosocial displacements used in this work indicates that unless harms to water are removed altogether, attempts to fix them often simply transform or move them somewhere else

Principal Investigators

Challenge:

How is the expansion of seawater desalination by the mining industry affecting local populations in Chile? How are converging impacts of climate change and mining affecting Andean glaciers and the agricultural communities dependent upon them?  

Research Strategy

  • Conduct interviews and focus groups with stakeholders from communities, government, and the mining industry to understand key concerns related to climate change, desalination, and glaciers
  • Use Geographic Information Science (GIS) to map the intersection of mining, glaciers, and communities in Chile
  • Improve knowledge of how increased demand for minerals used in clean energy technologies will affect communities that host mining operations
  • Inform policies to reduce social and environmental harms from mining, desalination, and climate change

Project description

Global efforts to mitigate climate change by transitioning to clean energy technologies are expected to increase demand for minerals from Global South countries. While this could have economic benefits for national mining sectors, it raises concerns over the environmental and social footprint of mining in regions long subject to conflict over water between extractive industries and small- and large-scale agriculture. Chile is a prime example of this dynamic; it is a top global producer of copper, lithium, and agricultural products, but has been subject to an unprecedented drought since 2010. Though substantial research exists on the impacts of global warming on mining and agriculture separately, little work has been done on climate change effects at the intersection of these two sectors that are foundational to local and global economies. 

The team will employ Geographic Information Science (GIS) and qualitative methods like interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders to examine this topic. The project will produce findings that can be used by communities, government, and industry to respond to or reduce the negative impacts of mining and climate change in water-stressed regions of Chile and around the world.

Outcomes

  • Conducted in-depth interviews with 39 individuals in three case study sites and the capital of Chile on why Chile's mining industry recently began to replace continental water use with desalinated water, with what effect, and how/why communities have responded to this development
  • Disseminated findings to policymakers, communities, and industry representatives working to address community relations over desalination in Chile's mining regions 
  • Published a peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Latin American Geography; a public-oriented white paper published in Spanish and English; and public and academic presentations, helping to advance scholarly understanding of political ecology's hydrosocial cycle
  • Conducted a comprehensive literature review on interactions between glaciers and mining across time and globally, particularly within the context of increased metal demand and a changing global climate and published the results in Energy Research & Social Science

Publications

News

Additional Details

Impact Areas

  • Water
  • Food
  • Climate & Sustainability

Research Themes

  • Water Purification & Desalination
  • Water Resources & Infrastructure
  • Sustainability & Adaptation
  • Economics, Policy, & Practices
  • Equity & Access

Year Funded

  • 2022

Grant Type

  • Seed Grant

Status

  • Completed