
A clarion call for justice and democracy in the quest for clean energy
What happens in Lithium Valley will not stay there. This tiny patch of California is a microcosm of the broad climate challenges we face; understanding Lithium Valley today is the key to grasping the future of our economy and our planet.
CHARGING FORWARD
“A clarion call for justice and democracy in the quest for clean energy”
California's Salton Sea region is home to some of the worst environmental health conditions in the country. Recently, however, it has also become ground zero in the new "lithium gold rush"—the race to power the rapidly expanding electric vehicle and renewable energy storage market. The immense quantities of lithium lurking beneath the surface have led to predictions that the region could provide a third of global demand. But who will benefit from the development of this precious resource?
A work of stunning analysis and reporting, Charging Forward shows that the questions raised by Lithium Valley lie at the heart of the "green transition." Threading movement politics, federal policy, and autoworker struggles, noted experts Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor stress that getting the lithium out from under the earth is just a first step: the real question is whether the region and the nation will get out from under the environmental degradation, labor exploitation, and racial injustice that have been as much a part of the landscape as the Salton Sea itself.
What happens in Lithium Valley, the authors argue, will not stay there. This tiny patch of California is a microcosm of the broad climate challenges we face; understanding Lithium Valley today is the key to grasping the future of our economy and our planet.
Read an excerpt from the book below:
What's New?
Upcoming events
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Join Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor for Charging Forward book events across the country!
Power in the Desert documentary
online premiere screening and discussion
Tuesday, April 22, 2025
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Pacific Time
The Lithium story is not just confined to Imperial Valley. On this Earth Day 2025, a glimmer of hope: the online premiere of a new documentary, “Power in the Desert”, about the promise and pitfalls of extracting lithium in the Atacama Desert of South America and the Imperial Valley of California. Directed by filmmaker Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch, the film highlights how these two places are linked, not just by the extraction of the minerals, but by the struggle of grassroots communities to ensure that they too will benefit.
Join Emiliano Rodriguez Nuesch, Chris Benner, and Manuel Pastor for an online film screening and a discussion on the experience of Lithium Valley in California and the so-called “Lithium Triangle” in Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. Their conclusion: the future of these regions may be uncertain but the communities there that have too often been left behind and kept behind are linked in their concerns for people and the planet.
A Better Next Big Thing
A new documentary film asks, “someone is gonna profit from the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but who”?
Renowned filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth brings to life a compelling new documentary inspired by the book Charging Forward.
Featuring appearances from co-authors Chris Benner and Manuel Pastor, this thought-provoking film looks at the world’s largest and cleanest lithium supply in California’s Salton Sea region. As the global economy transitions to renewable energy, the documentary asks: Can this rural, underserved community rewrite the rules of economic opportunity and ensure the green energy revolution works for everyone?
Don’t miss the premiere of A BETTER NEXT BIG THING on PBS Riverside/KVCR on April 10, 2025. Tune in to explore how one community’s story could shape a more equitable and sustainable future.
How to watch: KVCR channel 24 by antenna, channel 9 on cable in Palm Springs. Viewers can also watch it online on the KVCR app, or through Youtube TV, Hulu + Live TV and Amazon Prime Video. Learn more at video.kvcr.org.
Watch the trailer below:

“Charging Forward takes us on a highly readable romp through the complexities of a just transition to electric vehicles, offering a microcosm of the larger environmental, racial and social challenges of a clean energy tomorrow. It’s a must-read.”
— Denise Fairchild, Emerald Cities Collaborative president emerita
“Over a decade ago, I wrote about how we could save the planet, generate jobs, and ensure justice. This vision is finally being realized and perhaps nowhere more dramatically than in ‘Lithium Valley.’ Charging Forward brilliantly uses the Valley to illustrate what’s at stake as we move to a clean energy world. Clear-eyed that we cannot change the way we deliver power until we change who wields power, Benner and Pastor offer both hard-headed analysis and hope for a just future.”
— Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy
“Two of our most inspired intellectuals bring us an important glimpse into the future – and the choices we face in making a more equitable world.”
— Natalie Foster, Economic Security Project president and author of The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy
"Charging Forward covers the planet, exposing the damages of mineral extraction worldwide and finally landing us in a California desert with enough lithium to fuel our national transition to a cleaner future. With companies circling for profits and communities uniting in power and devising solutions, Benner and Pastor offer us a ringside seat to the fights that will determine whether we get the future frontline communities want—and deserve."
— Gloria Walton, The Solutions Project CEO
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