OPEN LETTER TO AMBASSADOR FERGUSON ABOUT THE LITHIUM EXCAVATION IN SERBIA
Your Excellency, Ambassador Ferguson,
As Chevening alumni, recipients of the prestigious award that significantly impacted our professional careers and development, we are writing this letter to express our deepest concerns related to the public appearances in which you support the Rio Tinto excavation of lithium in Serbia.
As of late, the Chevening scholarship programme has been supporting individuals focusing on sustainable development and the environment, as well as those working on the improvement of democratic institutions in Serbia. That being the case, we were surprised to see you stand in support of this project. In light of the observations about the policy dialogue in the country, as well as the information available from relevant sources about the excavation of lithium, such as this study on the influence of exploration activities of a potential lithium mine to the environment in Western Serbia and this Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) publication, we respectfully suggest that you reconsider your stance and public endorsement of the project that could have serious implications on the environment and citizens of Western Serbia.
Considering the track record of other mining projects in Serbia and their negative effects on the environment, and the general lack of effective and guided efforts on the part of the Government to ensure the wellbeing of the environment and to seriously regulate major polluters, there are many reasons to be skeptical about the promises of maintenance of the highest ecological standards.
Even Rio Tinto, at the beginning of their draft study, has a disclaimer on data and conclusions with which they try to reduce the effects this project has on the environment. We will not go into details of the very problematic reputation of this company as we are sure you are familiar with it already.
There is clearly a need on the part of the EU and other countries for raw materials necessary to produce batteries. Nevertheless, the studies linked above, provide strong evidence that the potential cost of the project for the health of the entire ecosystem of the area far outweighs any potential benefit this country and its people could have from that project.
As Chevening scholars and friends of the UK, but also concerned citizens of Serbia, we hope that you will take all this into consideration when referring to the project that could have such devastating consequences.
Everyone has the right to a clean and safe environment in which they can live in dignity.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
The views in this letter represent solely the views of the undersigned alumni, and not the Chevening Association of Serbia as a whole.
Kind regards,
Tijana Blagojev
Chevening scholar 2018/2019
University of Warwick, MA Politics, Big Data and Quantitative Methods
Vlada Šahović
Chevening scholar 2019/2020
University of Nottingham, LLM in Human Rights Law
Danilo Ćurčić
Chevening scholar 2015/2016
University of Essex, LLM in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Stefan Dragutinović
Chevening scholar 2018/2019
University of Bath, MSc Applied Economics with Public Policies
Nataša Pantić
Chevening scholar 2020/2021
London School of Economics, MSc Management in IT & Digital Innovation
Dr Aleksandar Brkić
Chevening scholar 2004/2005
City, University of London, MSc Management
Katarina Arambašić
Chevening scholar 2001/2002
University of Leeds, Non Degree Postgraduate Course in Communication Studies
Katarina Vuković
Chevening scholar 2006/2007
Kingston University, MBA
Marijana Čestić Jelovac
Chevening scholar 2021/2022
University of Leeds, LLM International Human Rights Law
Miloš Bogićević
Chevening scholar 2010/2011
UCL, MA Human Rights
Dragana Aleksić
Chevening scholar 2010/2011
University of Bristol, MSc in Public Policy
Marina Milošević Dussaule
Chevening scholar 2011/2012
London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc Development Studies
Marija Perić
Chevening scholar 2022/2023
University of Essex, MA Childhood Studies
Ana Ranitović
Chevening scholar 2008/2009
Oxford University, MSc Social Anthropology
Sara Petrovski
Chevening scholar 2011/2012
University of Sussex, MA Human Rights
Slobodan Janković
Chevening scholar 1999
University of Aberdeen, Certificate for segment of Master course of Clinical Pharmacology
Dr Tijana Stevanović
Chevening scholar 2009/2010
University College London, MA Identity, Culture and Power
Nataša Udovički
Chevening scholar 2008/2009
London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc in European Political Economy
Jelena Bajat
Chevening scholar 2006
Magdalene College, Oxford, PhD
Ana Smuk
Chevening scholar 2019/2020
University of Sheffield, MSc Environmental Archaeology and Palaeoeconomy
Sanja Stepanović Todorović
Chevening fellow 2018/2019
Chevening British Library Fellowship (Academy and Society in the Balkans)
Nevena Ružić
Chevening scholar 2007/2008
University of Leeds, LLM in International and European Human Rights
Jelisaveta Ilić
Chevening scholar 2021/2022
University College London, MSc Bioscience Entrepreneurship
Jovana Mirjanić
Chevening scholar 2020/2021
King’s College London, MSc Climate Change: Environment, Science and Policy
Snježana Milivojević
Senior Associate Member, 2001
Oxford University, St. Antony’s College, SAM — Individual Research Grant
Nikola Kovačević
Chevening scholar 2017/2018
University of Essex, LLM International Human Rights Law
Miloš Brčkalo
Chevening scholar 2009/2010
Cambridge University, MPhil Engineering for Sustainable Development
Aneta Goranović
Chevening scholar 2018/2019
Goldsmiths University, MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship
Marija Brujić (Krstić)
Chevening scholar 2009/2010
University of Oxford, MSc Visual Anthropology