Peru’s drive for critical minerals threatens a disappearing glacier
Like many in the community of Phinaya, in southeastern Peru, Donato Bermúdez makes his living from alpacas. His flock of 500 roams the slopes beneath the vast Quelccaya glacier, the site of the second-largest tropical ice cap in the world. Reaching 5,600 meters (18,400 feet), its white peak is home to centuries of tradition. “We […]
Peru's pursuit of critical minerals, such as lithium and uranium, may spell disaster for the rapidly receding Quelccaya glacier, reports Mongabay. Donato Bermúdez, a Phinaya resident and former community president, fears that the mountain's 5,600-meter (18,400-foot) peak may soon harbor more than just tradition. "We believe the glacier is essentially alive," he said, explaining that it provides water and lifeblood to the community.
Yet as long-delayed mining projects make a comeback under President Keiko Fujimori, Bermúdez and fellow Phinaya community leader Yolanda Quispe worry for the glacier's future. "Lithium and uranium mining would be catastrophic for the Quelccaya glacier," Quispe stated. "The fauna and flora that exist around it, the people — all of this would be destroyed."
American Lithium, a Canadian firm, is the Peruvian subsidiary controlling major lithium and uranium deposits across at least 174 concessions covering over 1,090 square kilometers (421 square miles) in Puno department, located beneath the glacier.
Written by urgent.news from Mongabay's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
