“A new gold rush is underway in Latin America—only this time around, the bounty is white,” FP’s Christina Lu and Rocio Fabbro reported in February. “With its sprawling salt flats, the region is rich with a new ore—lithium—and everyone from Germany to China is clambering to get in on the race.”

Lithium is essential to the batteries that power the energy transition—and as countries scramble to meet their renewable energy goals, Latin America has become a geopolitical hot spot due to its reserves. The reporting and essays below analyze the tactics states are using to secure the region’s lithium, the challenges to its extraction, and what it will take to prevent a new cold war over this essential resource.—Chloe Hadavas

China’s Latin American Gold Rush Is All About Clean Energy

Beijing’s not after gold—but lithium, FP’s Christina Lu and Rocio Fabbro report.

Can South American Lithium Power Biden’s Battery Plans?

Washington needs lithium—but its history of intervention in the region complicates things, Kathryn Ledebur and Erika Weinthal write.

Germany’s Scholz Calls for a New Approach to the Lithium Rush

On a visit to South America, the chancellor pitched partnership rather than exploitation, FP’s Catherine Osborn writes.

Can South America Take Advantage of the Lithium Boom?

Ramping up production may be harder than it sounds in the “lithium triangle,” Thomas Graham writes.

How to Avoid a New Cold War Over Critical Minerals

To prevent a return to the zero-sum logic of Cold War resource politics, critical mineral supply chains must be widened at every step, Cullen Hendrix writes.