Copper boom fueling energy transition puts Earth’s wildlands at risk

A massive copper deposit straddling Argentina and Chile, valued at $18 billion, sits in vicuña habitat and near 2,100 glaciers that feed water to millions of Argentinians. Global copper demand is projected to double by 2040 to meet electric vehicles, solar panels, and data centers, but supply is expected to fall 10 million metric tons short, driving extraction into remote, ecologically sensitive terrain.

Mining copper is intensely water-hungry, with global withdrawals rising faster than production, and one existing Argentine mine alone consumes more than 25 billion liters a year. Industry groups tout copper's role in sustainability while their own 2023 report lists climate emissions, water pollution, and habitat destruction as ‘priority issues.’ More than half of proposed global mineral projects for the energy transition sit on or near Indigenous territories.

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