Latin America’s Lithium and the Future of Renewable Energy in the United States

The U.S. government has identified lithium as a critical mineral for renewable energy technologies, including electric vehicles, and raised concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities, such as increasing Chinese control over global lithium production. With more than half of the planet’s lithium resources, South America’s Lithium Triangle – Argentina, Bolivia and Chile – will play a critical role in the renewable energy transition in the United States. So far, however, lithium production in Latin America is not on pace to meet skyrocketing demand. Rising lithium prices are attracting greater investment, but many investors remain skittish, discouraged by resource nationalism and the unpredictable political environment. What role should the U.S. government play in improving the investment climate in the Lithium Triangle? How can the U.S. government channel greater private sector investment to lithium production in Latin America? What role should U.S. battery producers