In South America’s ‘lithium triangle’, where pools of turquoise blue spangle the white salt flats, residents are yet to feel the benefits of the world’s new metal rush. Lithium is a key component of the batteries used in electric cars. The “white gold” is found in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia in quantities larger than anywhere else on Earth. As the world seeks to move away from fossil fuels, lithium production has skyrocketed in recent years. But at what cost to the communities near lithium plants, many of whom live in poverty? We don’t eat lithium, nor batteries. We do drink water. “We don’t …