Argentina is currently at the forefront of a worldwide race for lithium. The nation, which alone accounts for 21 percent of the world's deposits, has only two mines in operation today, but 13 more are planned and dozens more are under consideration-the world's biggest lithium project pipeline. Argentina's embryonic boom represents a dramatic transition in the lithium market: a few years ago, lithium was a pretty specialist commodity, used to create glass, ceramics, and lubricants. Most of it was derived from well-established mines in Chile, Australia, and China. But with the global energy shift predicted to spark a 40-fold rise in lithium demand between now and 2040, according to the International Energy Agency,