Recommended Frameworks

• Framework Teaching:
  • Causal Loop Diagram (CLD): This is a strategic tool from the field of systems thinking. It helps you visualize a complex system by mapping the relationships and feedback loops between various elements. Instead of just seeing a linear chain of events, you can illustrate how, for instance, increased EV demand affects mining practices, which in turn impacts water tables, and how that loops back to affect community stability and even mining operations themselves. You identify variables and draw arrows between them to show influence, marking them as either reinforcing (an increase in one causes an increase in the other) or balancing (an increase in one causes a decrease in the other).
  • Stakeholder Analysis: This framework is used to identify all individuals, groups, or organizations affected by this issue. For each stakeholder (e.g., mining companies, indigenous communities, EV manufacturers, national governments), you analyze their specific interests, level of influence, and position on the issue. This is crucial for understanding the political and social dynamics at play.
• Applicability Explanation:
  • Your research is not just about isolated problems (water contamination, ecosystem damage) but about how they connect in a reinforcing cycle driven by global demand. A CLD is the ideal tool to map these interconnected feedback loops and visually demonstrate the "contradiction" between green energy goals and local environmental justice.
  • The issue of "environmental justice" is fundamentally about the conflicting interests and power imbalances between different groups. A Stakeholder Analysis provides a structured method to dissect this social and political landscape, ensuring you don't just report on the damage, but also on who is responsible, who is impacted, and who has the power to enact change.

Phase 1: Information Collection

Web Search Plan

• Environmental & Ecosystem Data:
  • Queries: "environmental impact of lithium mining Atacama Chile water resources 2024," "cobalt mining Democratic Republic of Congo ecosystem damage report," "water contamination levels from lithium brine extraction studies"
  • Purpose: To collect quantitative evidence of environmental harm. For example, data showing a decrease in water table levels, an increase in specific chemical contaminants in rivers, or a reduction in flamingo populations directly provides the core variables for our Causal Loop Diagram.
• Impact on Indigenous & Local Communities:
  • Queries: "indigenous rights violations lithium cobalt mining South America Africa," "social impacts of cobalt mining displacement DRC"
  • Purpose: To gather reports, news articles, and NGO findings that document the human side of the impact. This information is critical for both the CLD (e.g., linking ecosystem damage to loss of livelihoods) and for identifying the key affected groups in our Stakeholder Analysis.
• Stakeholder Identification & Corporate/Government Policy:
  • Queries: "corporate social responsibility reports of major lithium cobalt mining companies," "policies on sustainable mining for EV battery materials," "contradiction between green energy goals and local environmental justice mining"
  • Purpose: To identify the key players (companies like SQM, Glencore; governments; NGOs) and their stated positions, policies, and influence. This is the primary data source for building the Stakeholder Analysis and understanding the governance landscape.

Stakeholder Interview Plan

• Interview Subjects:
  1. Environmental Scientists/Hydrologists: Experts who have studied the specific ecosystems (e.g., Salar de Atacama, Congo Basin).
  2. Indigenous Community Leaders: Representatives from communities in affected areas (e.g., Lickanantay people in Chile, communities in Lualaba province, DRC).
  3. NGO Representatives: Staff from organizations like Human Rights Watch, Global Witness, or local environmental justice groups who investigate these issues.
  4. Academics: University researchers specializing in resource extraction, political ecology, or environmental justice.
• Interview Purpose: To understand the causal relationships from a human perspective and to uncover the nuanced interests and power dynamics of each stakeholder group. Their stories and expert opinions will be used to build the narrative around the quantitative data.
• Core Interview Questions:
  • For Community Leaders:
    • "Can you describe your community's relationship with the local water sources and land before the large-scale mining operations began? How has that relationship changed since?"
      • Analysis Purpose: Establishes a baseline and provides a first-hand account of the impact, directly feeding into the "Community Well-being" and "Ecosystem Health" variables in the CLD.
    • "What has been your experience when engaging with the mining companies or government agencies? Do you feel your community's concerns have been heard or addressed?"
      • Analysis Purpose: Provides crucial qualitative data for the Stakeholder Analysis, revealing power dynamics and the effectiveness (or lack thereof) of current governance mechanisms.
  • For Environmental Scientists:
    • "Beyond direct water depletion, what are the most significant cascading ecological effects you have observed from lithium or cobalt extraction in this region?"
      • Analysis Purpose: Helps map the secondary and tertiary links in the CLD, showing how one impact (water loss) leads to others (vegetation loss, biodiversity decline, etc.).
    • "Based on your data, what is the long-term prognosis for this ecosystem if current extraction practices continue unchanged?"
      • Analysis Purpose: Provides an expert-based assessment for the "Sustainability Implications" section of your final report.

Phase 2: Information Analysis

1. Develop the Stakeholder Analysis:
   • How-to: Using the search results and interview notes, create a matrix. List all identified stakeholders down the first column (e.g., Atacameño communities, Chilean government, Albemarle Corp., Tesla, EV consumers in Europe, etc.).
   • In subsequent columns, map out each stakeholder's primary Interests (e.g., profit, community health, clean energy access, national economic growth), their Level of Influence (High, Medium, Low), and their Current Stance (Supportive, Opposed, Neutral to current mining practices).
   • Goal: This map will visually expose the power imbalances and conflicting objectives that define the "environmental justice" problem.
2. Construct the Causal Loop Diagram (CLD):
   • How-to: Start with the primary driver: "Global Demand for EVs/Green Tech." Draw an arrow to "Price of Lithium/Cobalt." Then another to "Investment in Mining." This begins your central causal chain.
   • Branch out from there using your collected data. For example:

     • ↑ Mining Activity

       leads to

       ↑ Water Pumping

       .

     • ↑ Water Pumping

       leads to

       ↓ Aquifer Levels

       and

       ↑ Water Contamination

       .

     • ↓ Aquifer Levels

       leads to

       ↓ Ecosystem Health

       (e.g., wetlands drying up) and

       ↓ Agricultural Viability

       for local communities.

     • ↓ Agricultural Viability

       and

       ↑ Water Contamination

       both lead to

       ↓ Community Health & Livelihood

       .

     • ↓ Community Health & Livelihood

       leads to

       ↑ Social Unrest/Protest

       .
   • Identify Feedback Loops: Crucially, look for loops. For example, increased global attention on human rights abuses (

     ↑ Social Unrest

     ) might lead to

     ↑ Consumer Pressure

     on EV companies, which could create a balancing loop by forcing them to demand more

     ↑ Sustainable Sourcing Standards

     , potentially mitigating some harm.
   • Goal: This diagram will be the centerpiece of your analysis, visually demonstrating the core contradiction: the drive for a global environmental good is creating reinforcing loops that concentrate environmental and social harm locally.
3. Synthesize and Write the Final Report:
   • How-to: Use the CLD and Stakeholder Analysis as your guide.
     • Chapter 1: Environmental Impact: Describe the causal chains from your CLD that lead to water depletion, contamination, and ecosystem damage, citing the scientific reports and data you found.
     • Chapter 2: Social Impact & Environmental Justice: Detail the impacts on the stakeholders you identified as most vulnerable (indigenous communities). Use the interview quotes and NGO reports to give a voice to these impacts.
     • Chapter 3: The Central Contradiction: Explicitly walk the reader through your Causal Loop Diagram. Show how the global pursuit of "green" energy directly and systematically causes the local harms documented in the previous chapters.
     • Chapter 4: Assessment & Recommendations: Analyze the weaknesses and leverage points in the system you've mapped. Based on your Stakeholder Analysis, propose specific, actionable recommendations targeted at the stakeholders with the most influence. For example:
       • For Policymakers: Recommend mandatory standards for water recycling in mining operations or the enforcement of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for indigenous communities.
       • For Corporations (EV & Tech): Recommend supply chain transparency regulations that hold them accountable for the upstream impacts of their material sourcing.