r/Futurology • u/ToffeeFever • Sep 10 '23

Energy Lithium discovery in US volcano could be biggest deposit ever found

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/lithium-discovery-in-us-volcano-could-be-biggest-deposit-ever-found/4018032.article
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u/4R4M4N Sep 11 '23

Not sure I understand that. You mean the punction on the water ressource will not have any impact on the other industry like agriculture or plants and maufactures ?

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u/Geaux2020 Sep 11 '23

Yes. Depending on where you source the water from, it can have negligible effects on agricultural and community needs. Obviously using the Colorado River 30 miles short of Los Angeles isn't a good idea but there are plenty of places with an excess of it.

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u/4R4M4N Sep 11 '23

It was obviously ironic. How can freshwater reserves not be interdependent? How do you expect us to be able to take from somewhere without it having an impact?
We're talking about real life here, not a video game with infinite resources.
If I take more water upstream, there will be less downstream.
The answer to my question is that we're going to have to make trade-offs. We're going to have to choose between giving priority to mining, agricultural production, the local population and the tourist industry. Many interests will be fighting each other, and the choice will have to be made with full knowledge of the facts.
Now, the right question to ask is who will do the arbitration? Will it be the federal government, the state, citizens' groups, the invisible hand of the market or lobbying pressure?