In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
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 on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project 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 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
All content for EcoJustice Radio is the property of SoCal 350 Media and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
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 on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project 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 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
Living Minerals of Chile’s Atacama: Ecosystems vs. Mining
EcoJustice Radio
1 hour 11 minutes 59 seconds
2 months ago
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
EcoJustice Radio
In this episode, we explore the critical role lithium plays in the clean renewable energy transition, focusing on the potential of the Salton Sea in the Southern California desert as a lithium-rich resource. Well, there has been plenty of hype from industry as well as some clean energy advocates and environmentalists saying this could be the answer to many environmental problems with hard rock mining and brine evaporation for lithium around the world. We feature an interview with Dr. James J. A. Blair of Cal Poly Pomona, as well as multiple news reports, testimony from Preston Arrow-weed, a Quechan-Kamia knowledge keeper, Christian Torres from Comite Civico del Valle in Brawley, Dr. Ali Sharbat of Cal Poly Pomona, and Daniela Flores of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition.
Support the Podcast via PayPal https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=LBGXTRM292TFC&source=url
Also, check out two pieces published on PBS SoCal, host Jack Eidt’s project with art-photojournalist Osceola Refetoff, where these issues are illustrated with incredible visuals from both the Salton Sea and Chile.
White Snake of Knowledge: Lithium Boom on the Salton Sea: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/the-white-snake-of-knowledge-a-lithium-boom-at-the-salton-sea
Green Extractivism: Can Our Deserts Survive Our Thirst for Lithium: https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/green-extractivism-can-our-deserts-survive-our-thirst-for-lithium
More on the environmental justice advocacy in the Salton Sea: https://ccvhealth.org/hells-kitchen?lang=us
In our third segment we share an interesting discussion from the 2025 Bioneers Conference around the impacts of clean energy balanced with the urgent need to transition away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels with Bill McKibben of Third Act and 350.org Co-Founder, Colette Pichon Battle from Taproot Earth, and Eriel Deranger from Indigenous Climate Action. Join us as we delve into the intersection of technology, environmental justice, and community impact in the pursuit of clean energy.
For an extended interview and other benefits, become an EcoJustice Radio patron at https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
Sources:
Dr. James J. A. Blair [https://www.jamesjablair.com/] is an author, environmental consultant, and Associate Professor in Geography and Anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. His work centers on energy, water, and environmental justice, especially related to extractive industries, including mining, fossil fuels, dams, logging, and fishing. Specific case studies include: geothermal lithium extraction at the Salton Sea in California; lithium mining, hydroelectric dams, and industrial logging in Chile and Argentina; as well as offshore oil and commercial fishing in the Falkland Islands (Malvinas).
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 on desert environmental and cultural issues for an L.A.-Press-Club-honored project 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 272
Photo credit: Jack Eidt
