The Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina ordered the Argentine State, as well as the governments of the provinces of Jujuy and Salta, to suspend the exploration and exploitation of lithium and borate in the Salinas Grandes Basin, in addition to carrying out joint environmental management to prevent the irreversible damage that these mining activities would cause in the water system shared by both provinces.
The ruling, issued in March 2023, responds to a constitutional protection action filed by Indigenous communities of the Tres Pozos Sanctuary and by the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN). The action argues that the communities' right to free, prior, and informed consent was violated; as was their right to access information; the rights of environmental human rights defenders; and the principle of non-regression contained in the Escazú Agreement; as well as the infringement of international and national environmental provisions.
The highest court considered the principles of in dubio pro natura and in dubio pro agua, as well as the principle of non-regression, to make a decision favorable to the communities in which it provides for solid protection of threatened ecosystems, including an intergenerational approach and the rights of future generations.
More information here
The Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina ordered the Argentine State, as well as the governments of the provinces of Jujuy and Salta, to suspend the exploration and exploitation of lithium and borate in the Salinas Grandes Basin, in addition to carrying out joint environmental management to prevent the irreversible damage that these mining activities would cause in the water system shared by both provinces.
The ruling, issued in March 2023, responds to a constitutional protection action filed by Indigenous communities of the Tres Pozos Sanctuary and by the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN). The action argues that the communities' right to free, prior, and informed consent was violated; as was their right to access information; the rights of environmental human rights defenders; and the principle of non-regression contained in the Escazú Agreement; as well as the infringement of international and national environmental provisions.
The highest court considered the principles of in dubio pro natura and in dubio pro agua, as well as the principle of non-regression, to make a decision favorable to the communities in which it provides for solid protection of threatened ecosystems, including an intergenerational approach and the rights of future generations.
More information here