Abstract

In this special issue, we aim to open a debate to critically examine the contradictory roles of lithium in the energy transition at various scales. The articles in this issue emphasize the interrelations between markets and the environmental, social, economic, and geopolitical dimensions of the lithium industry. Through case studies from the Global South and North including Chile, Bolivia, Portugal, Canada, Australia, the United States, the UK and Zimbabwe, the articles highlight the contested landscapes of lithium extraction and production and how these increasingly multiply, become both similar and dissimilar, if not unequal. They reveal both the material realities of lithium's role in decarbonization processes and the expectations and imaginaries that shape its governance and industrial strategies. From tensions arising from environmental imaginaries and notions of green extractivism, this special issue seeks to open a debate about the geographies of power, opportunities, and impacts that characterize lithium's central role in the energy transitions. In doing so, we question the promises of development and sustainability associated with lithium. Ultimately, we present an academic discussion on lithium framed within the broader socio-technical and geopolitical contexts in which it unfolds. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd