Santiago, Chile, July 13 (Prensa Latina) Academics and specialists arrived in Chile today to realize the benefits of lithium mining to generate long-term growth, ensure community well-being and protect the environment.
Ximena Moya, director of the University of Chile Foundation for Technology Transfer, stressed the importance of the relationship between specialized research and the development of new lithium technologies.
“As a country, he said, we have come through a difficult learning curve in nitrate and copper mining, and now there is an opportunity to consolidate new industries that go beyond the extractive principle.”
In the same spirit, Carlos Castro of the Industrial Engineering department of this university expressed the potential of the so-called “white gold” to contribute to the well-being of the country.
The expert pointed out that it is no longer just about achieving short-term economic benefits, but about defining a strategy to promote sustainable development that benefits society as a whole and not just a specific sector.
A study published this Thursday on the website of La Visión Noticias in the Coquimbo region underscores Chile’s privileged position given global demand for this soft metal and the importance of the recent creation of the National Lithium Institute.
According to the text, the main objective of this center is to establish a solid methodology and a clear vision of public work for the benefit of society.
Dante Choque, researcher and specialist in indigenous peoples and territories, pointed out that economic growth cannot be independent of social and environmental concerns.
The challenge is to find a balance between the benefits of this mineral and the preservation of the environment, with the active participation of original communities. The importance of lithium mining was highlighted in recent statements by Chile’s Finance Minister Mario Marcel, who said tax revenues from this activity would offset the fall in tax revenue and the fall in copper contribution.
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