00:00Zlatko Kukanovic is a 7th generation farmer.
00:04He tends to his two dozen cows every day and loves village life here in Gornja Nedeljica.
00:10We're cattle farmers and every year we sell about 100,000 liters of milk.
00:17My family, my five children, we live from that and we don't plan to change a thing.
00:26Just like many other farmers on the western edge of Serbia.
00:30But a global mining giant does have plans for the Jara valley due to its large deposits
00:35of lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries.
00:40Rio Tinto has bought up land and farms across the valley.
00:44It plans to mine 58,000 tons of the metal annually, enough to supply batteries for over
00:50a million vehicles.
00:53We're aware of Serbia's rich resources and the enormous potential, with confirmed reserves
00:58of 158 million tons of lithium borate.
01:03The government insists mining operations will meet the EU's strict environmental standards,
01:08while Serbia isn't a member, it's seeking to join the bloc.
01:13Only state institutions can control this.
01:17The investor will say, I'll give you the documentation, that's the basis of our work,
01:23and then it's up to the government of the Republic of Serbia to monitor this.
01:31Many in the opposition don't believe these words.
01:34Member of Parliament Aleksandar Jovanovic takes part in mass protests against the lithium
01:39mine.
01:42Everywhere Rio Tinto has been around the world, it has left behind devastation and misery
01:46in its wake, including civil wars and the destruction of nature and cultural monuments.
01:52His skepticism is shared.
01:54This expert has seen studies on the potential environmental impact.
02:03The ore is mined with the help of intensive subterranean explosions, and the lithium processing
02:08will involve 1,100 tons of concentrated sulfuric acid daily.
02:14That will leave behind a mountain of waste that will pollute the environment for centuries.
02:23Rio Tinto says it's willing to talk.
02:25It's invested 600 million euros so far, with plans for a further 2 billion.
02:30The company claims the mining will be done using precise planning and environmentally
02:34friendly methods, and create thousands of new jobs.
02:39Well I want to assure everybody this project is 100% safe.
02:43It's been designed to the highest standards in the world.
02:46We will not be a big hole in the ground.
02:49In contrast, we're an underground mine.
02:52Agriculture coexists on the surface with the mine together.
02:56And in terms of water, we will not impact any agricultural water, any drinking water.
03:01We will not be poisoning any water sources.
03:04But Zlatko Kokanovic and his neighbours don't trust any of the parties involved, the corporation,
03:09the government, the courts, or the state-controlled media.
03:14There's always this fear about whether the mine is coming or not.
03:19Of course I'm against the mine.
03:21It's not good for us.
03:23That should be in the desert, where nobody lives.
03:26We'll be left with no water.
03:28The mood in the Jadar valley is tense.
03:31This farmer is determined to keep his land and his livelihood.
03:39You mustn't dig up these graves, and I'm prepared to sacrifice my life to prevent that.
03:48Compromise on the lithium mine is a long way off.
03:52Mistrust in Serbia's institutions and Rio Tinto is too great.
03:57The government has announced that it will approve the mine in two years at the earliest.
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