White Gold: Elon Musk and the Race for Argentina's Lithium

Lithium is found in almost every electronic device, from mobile phones to computers. It’s, thus, no coincidence that it has earned the nickname “white gold.” But what is the true cost of its extraction, which takes place primarily in countries of the Global South?

Ninety percent of all extracted lithium is used in the production of electric vehicles, and half of the world’s reserves of this rare metal lie within the “Lithium Triangle”, which spans Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Since the rise of populist president Javier Milei, Argentina has become both a business opportunity and a political priority for figures such as Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Milei has shown himself willing to offer the country’s mineral wealth to foreign interests, often at the expense of his own citizens. The film traces how international corporations are building dozens of new lithium mines across Argentina, exploiting local water reserves in the process. This extraction irreversibly alters the environment and the lives of local communities, who continue to resist the expansion of mining in their region.

Basic information about the film