Mining Development and Environmental Injustice in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile

Large amounts of national and transnational capital are currently being invested in mining projects located in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. These projects require large quantities of water for their industrial processes. Water sources in the middle of this desert are extremely limited, despite many lakes, lagoons, salt lakes, and wetlands located on the Andean highlands, bordering its eastern side. Most of them are located in natural conservation areas or territories claimed by indigenous communities. Given the lack of superficial water, location of mining projects in northernmost Chilean regions are beginning to be increasingly located near ground resources and overlapping nature conservation areas, biodiversity protection sites, and communal lands claimed by indigenous peoples. At present, water withdrawal by mining companies has been favored by governments and legislation and supported by neoliberal mechanisms such as privatization and commodification of natural resources. On the opposing side, ecosystems and local communities have lost the battle, due to the increasing competition for water resources that is threatening the subsistence of living systems in this part of Chile.