Lithium Reserves, A National Security Threat?

We all know Lithium from exploding laptops, and portable Gizmoz

Did you know, that we are proper-fu*k'd if we do not secure enough Lithium to feed on consumer lifestyle. The problem is, we receive most of our supply from South America.

The short answer is: South America. There, briny liquids are pumped out from under vast salt flats; the liquids dry into lithium salts which can be further processed into lithium metal. The largest of such salt flats is in Chile, although geological studies show large untapped resources in Bolivia.

This might be peachy for some, but google: Bolvarian Revolution. For starters, these socialist will eventually restrict supplies to their own economies. The real threat is, if used available Lithium, we could only build 1.5 million Chevy Volts. THATS IT! In a dam country that is out-numbered by Cars vs People. How are we going to sustain a plug-in-future. This goes back to setting the bar to high, we are switching from Oil to Lithium dependency. How can one conceive of this! Not only is a full electric car fleet impossible, it cannot be sustained with current technology. We need massive subsides and funding for alternative fuel cells. This could work, but it will be a Long Shot. Plug-In seem like the silver bullet we are looking for, but we have to wait till Com-Ed begins to expand our new Smart Grid. The ecological implication involved with Lithium is terrible too! Talk about a Dead-Zone covered in Blight, anything around these extraction facilities is Dead, Blind, Or Dying. Another massive supplier of Lithium comes from China. They supply most of the batteries we use in Gizmos on a day to day basis. If all of sudden, our politics and polices decay, no more advanced portable technology. A Tech economy based on Lithium can really Limit our progress!

Eco-Geek