a hilltop village deep in Chile's Atacama Desert, a black flag whips in the wind above Jeanette Cruz's house. The desert sun has bleached it to a dark gray blur, but the defiance it represents ...

Chile is the world's second-largest lithium producer. It has been a welcome boon to the economy, but local community members consider it a disaster.

where output currently comes from just two companies in the Atacama salt flat. The government is working to boost production, both through efforts spearheaded by state-run copper giant Codelco ...