At the centre of the controversy is the Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto, which discovered a new mineral jadarite in the eponymous valley of the river Jadar, a tributary of the Drina, in 2004.
It was quite a find: jadarite contains both lithium and boron, two highly valuable elements for a variety of industries. It is estimated that there are 200 million tons of the lithium borate ore in Jadar Valley, which would make it one of the world’s largest lithium deposits, supplying 10 per cent of global demand.
Lithium is becoming increasingly important as it is one of the main components of batteries used in electric cars. As economies around the world attempt to cut down their use of fossil fuels, electric vehicles are being hailed by many as a way to cut down on harmful CO2 emissions.