Is Serbia ready for ecological cataclysm? – Personal views

The European Commission has published 47 strategic projects without Lithium and Serbia, while the government representatives ran (and eventually persuaded) to convince Brussels that the Jadar project also includes the Jadar project to their listing. The previous presentation of Serbia as a Lithium Eldorada can pass only in non-intelligent or naive people because lithium is not only in our country, although government representatives are trying to present the authorities. To go from the facts:

1. Are the mines of the Lithium economic chance for Serbia?

The state has been trying to convince citizens for years, claiming that Lithium is a historic chance for Serbia. As an ecologist, I represent the position that lithium mines should not open in Serbia due to the imminent destruction of the environment, because there are currently no lithium mine in the world that meets environmental standards. The authority plans to open about 40 lithium mine in Triangle Loznica – Vranje – Bor, Serbia will be through the Lithium, although all evidence shows the opposite.

Economic experts claim that Serbia would generate the Tinto Mine of Lithium in Loznica only 17.4m euros a year (2.6 euros per capita), while the consequences of environmental destruction were catastrophic. That money will be even smaller (not to say that we will be in a minus) because Serbia currently invests hundreds of millions of euros in supporting infrastructure through subsidies. An illogicality is that the mines will last from 40 – 70 years and that the miner rents will be paid only for the first 12 years!?

In the case of environmental disaster, Serbia would bear costs that can be measured from several hundred to several billion euros. For example, Rio Tinto was recently punished with only two million dollars per eight charges (admitted guilty), because she dropped harmful substances in the watercourses at Lake Tio in Canada. But we continue to convince us that they will respect environmental standards.

In the text (in my opinion ordered) for the Financial Times (27. 12. 2021), it will increase GDP for 10 billion euros (22% of GDP) Although no serious economic expert agrees because the figures are based on the state’s data that no one believes. The Serbian government plans to subsidize the company inobat (which has so far there is no experience with a mass production factory, which is already in the SUBRICA Modern EURIA, which is already working in the state, which already works lithium from other continents. In 2025. year, the price of lithium fell by over 80% compared to 2023. year (source International Energy Agency).

2. How do you get lithium and is there a lithium mine anywhere in the world that meets environmental standards?

There are no lithium mines in the world who meet environmental standards. Lithium mines are therefore open in deserts or far from populated places that is not the case in Serbia.

Countries where Lithium is located:

* From the desert (Solamora, Salt Lake): Chile – Solanes in Anda, Bolivia – Salar De Orjuni, China – Salt Lake in Tibet, USA – Solanes in Nevada, Mexico – Solanes in the desert.

* From the rude rocks (stumbling, lepidolite): Australia – Main Source of the Studemen, Canada – Soccerities, Serbia – Jadarit, Zimbabwe – Spodumen, Brazil – Spodumen and Lepidolit, China – Spodumen and Pegmati

* From geothermal sources (filtration from thermal waters): USA – California (Salton Sea Geothermal Field), Germany – Rhine Valley (Pilot project in an experimental phase that has not reached environmental standards of environmental protection).

In our environment, Lithium is located in the vicinity of Zagreb, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Northern Macedonia. In the European Union, Lithium is located in Portugal (Barroso and Montalegre), France (Massi Central, Alsace), Germany, Czech Republic, United Kingdom (Corner), Austria (Carinthia), Finland (Keliber), Greece and Slovenia. In the EU, Lithium mines are not active except in Portugal, where the Government of Portugal fell due to the destruction of the environment. Nowhere in Europe does new mines open where lithium will be processed.

3. Which Lithium companies have submitted requests for the opening of lithium mines in Serbia?

So far, the state has issued 69 Location Research Licenses. Companies that plan to open 40 mines of lithiums (so far, 16 mine locations) throughout Serbia, in the territory of over 22,000 km2 are: Rio Sava (daughter of Rio Ink) at Loznica, Bor, Bogatić; Euro Lithium Balkan at Valjevo, UB and Mionica; Balkan Research at Jagodina, Gornji Milanovac, Rekovac and Požega; Ultra Lithium at locations Kragujevac, Koceljeva, Blace, Trnava, Preljina, Lađevci, then companies not yet published: Lithiumly Balkans; Ultra Balkans; Balkan Gold; LithiumIli Exploration; Rare Mineral Resources; Geomin Consulting; Centurion Metals.

4. Why does the EU forces the opening of Lithium Mine in Serbia instead of in their countries?

Lithium companies do not open lithium mines because they respect EU environmental standards, which are not allowed to destroy the environment. That is why the EU forces the opening of the lithium mines in Serbia at all costs, trying to separate from the dependence of the purchase of raw materials from China, not counting that China is the largest single shareholder of Rio ink with 28%. Why each normal country would destroy its environment when it can import lithium from the country in an environment like Serbia, which otherwise considered the country of the third world.

It is interesting that certain opposition leaders are not strictly against the lithium mine (which would commit to the government will not allow the election of lithiums), while all opposition leaders signed, the same agreement soon violated the same agreement. The fact that Article 74 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia « Everyone has the right to a healthy environment and duty to keep and improves it. Any responsible for environmental protection in accordance with the law » appears not authority or opposition. Students, as a new political force, are the only ones who are strictly against the lithium mine and which I can trust.

In the German Bundestag Localists Register, it can be seen by the former German Foreign Minister from the Green – Fisher engaged by Rio Tinto, and that the ministries of the economy and foreign affairs manage German green. A important role in negotiations with Serbia, Francisco Brantner, which is the vice president of the green. Citizens should know that behind Lithium companies, in addition to other German parties, which are not interested in Serbia, which have a huge impact on false green political options in Serbia like the green front (Nebojsa Zelenovic – together for Serbia and do not give Belgrade).

* The question arises as Lithium companies come to Serbia?

Vladeta Janković, Minister in the Government of the former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said at the meeting when the three-member delegation of Rio Tinto was 2004. It opened one billion euros with the then Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica who refused. Then two years ago, representatives of government who claimed that if we drove Rio Tinto, who would return to them one billion euros?! Unofficially, it is mentioned that three more lithium companies have given the same amount as Rio Tinto.

5. Who are the experts engaged in Lithium companies?

The company Rio Tinto has so far hired 10 faculties and about 100 university professors. The first thing Rio Tinto does is signing confidentiality contracts. Conflict of interest is the fact that Rio Tinto as an investor funds the development of the environmental impact study where negative studies have been made from the public so far, threatening lawsuits experts if they speak (Example: Faculty of Child). Another problem is that these same professors in the media are represented as experts – university professors, hiding that they are paid by the Lithium companies (Example: The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is made by Aleksandar Jovović, which is a media professional manner).

6. How much damage did they leave behind the lithium mines around the world for now?

* Water and Land pollution: Lithium includes hazardous chemicals (sodium chlorides, sulfuric acids, alleged water drinks in barren for agriculture (example: in the deserts, induced a decline in groundwater levels, which affected agriculture, which affected agriculture.

* The destruction of fertile land that already looks like cratients on the moon after the lithium mine and which cannot be recovered.

* Destruction of ecosystems and impact on biodiversity – disappearance of plant and animal species (negative study of the Faculty of Biology).

* Social influences: Lithium mines require relocation of local communities (forced relocation), leading to loss of land and property.

* Water consumption – Lithium mining increases water consumption and negatively affects agriculture and water supply (Example of Bolivia: caused great environmental problems and water shortages).

Research has shown that it is as much as 60% of the population (85% younger than 40 years), while only 24.8% (of which 45% pensioners and 53% of people with completed primary school) supports. With the opening of planned 40 lithium mines, Serbia risks environmental cataclysm, where damage will be irreparable, and the country is permanently destroyed. The EU gets lithium, and Serbia is a deserted country and water shortage.

In Serbia, the experts claims that, in addition to destroying fertile dat, will also be able to finish large amounts of sultry (although the company claims to be ground, groundwater or say a jadar that flows into the drina, which He then pours into Sava, and in the Danube, which endangers water supply for all residents of Western Serbia and Belgrade. Now imagine that times 40 mines because the opening of the Lithium in Loznica opens the door and for all other lithium mines to 40 planned locations.

From the previous experience, after the publication of this text, we can expect that Rio Tinto will react with Demantic or lawsuit, trying to convince people in the opposite. The author of this text is always open for TV Duel where we could face views and provide answers to questions that citizens are most interested in and who are not classic PR material for wide folk masses.

Not wanting to spread panic, we need to set key questions: What will happen when the ecological cataclysm comes? Does Serbia have plan B for population evacuation? Are we getting ready for the new Seoba Serbs? What will happen if the scenario of water sources and fertile land sulfuric acid is happening? Who will benefit from it? Who will bear the consequences? Will the guilty get nanogs like now a custom for serious crimes with fines while the damage will be measured by billions of euros? Or they will justify the floxules « we did not know », « they told us the like … and the like …

The author is an expert in ecology

The author’s attitudes in the dialogue not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Danas.