Screening of the documentary “The Lithium Revolution” by Andreas Pichler and Julio Weiss

(in coproduction with Polar Star Films; in cooperation with WDR/arte; development funded by the Media Programme and EED; production funded by NRW Filmstiftung and EED)

The documentary analyses the rising energy consumption trend (especially in China), and the global market for Natural Resources, focusing on traffic and transportation, which causes 25% of global CO2 emissions. It touches on the local visions of Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni (where 50% of the world’s Lithium can be found), the industrialization process that has been taking place under President Evo Morales, and on different global strategies for “cleaner” energy, looking into what Germany, China, USA and other countries have been doing concerning energy policies and trends. Under a more technical lens it looks at the limitations and challenges regarding the efficiency of Lithium Carbonate extraction, storage of energy, recharge of batteries, infrastructure to charge e-cars (replacement of batteries vs. recharge), and storage capacity of batteries and smart grids. The documentary questions the global benefit from Lithium-ion batteries.