Um, not sure where you got that.
Lithium is mined in more than one manner.
At Silverpeak NV they pump it up out of the ground and use a series of ponds to concentrate it.
I have seen this operation for myself.
Not much visible impact.
Saline refinement requires intense heat. Chile has most of this resource. The NV claim will be more expensive.
I got this from researching the industry. Of course there is more than one means of extraction. Afghanistan and China require literally moving mountains.