Climate Changed

Copper and Lithium Giant Squeezing Water Rights for Miners

  • Officials plan to more than double number of prohibited zones
  • BHP and Antofagasta have requested water-rights extensions

The world’s largest copper producer is planning to implement measures that will make it more difficult for miners to pump fresh water.

Photographer: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

In a belated response to falling fresh-water levels in desert areas, Chile is moving to protect a natural resource that has been depletedBloomberg Terminal after decades of mining activity.

With complaints from local communities rising and the effects of climate change worsening, the world’s largest copper producer is planning to implement measures that will make it more difficult for miners to pump fresh water.

Up Next
Copper and Lithium Giant Squeezing Water Rights for Miners