Scientists from the University of Colorado - Boulder and Argentina recently discovered a previously unknown (at least to anybody living outside of the area, and not many people live there) system of hypersaline lagoons in the Argentinian high (12,000 feet plus) desert. And it's not just the lagoons that are previously undescribed -- they also host a population of stromatolites, which are one of the most primitive forms of life on Earth. As you may know or may find out, they also might be the first kind of life that started living on this Earth.
That's pretty darned important, science-wise. The problem is, they are on land slated for lithium mining. We know how much modern society needs lithium, and the demand is increasing as climate change gets worse.
This is, however, truly unique. Can't Argentina set up an exclusion zone to protect the lagoons? They are ridiculously difficult to get to. How economically viable is mining here going to be, anyway?
So, read the article, learn something new about something new, and then maybe we should start a petition. There's a short video beneath the article link.
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