Unreported World investigates the dirty business of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral is fuelling the planet’s green revolution, but at what cost?
Around seventy percent of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Central African country, mostly from the southern Katanga area, thought to be one of the ten most polluted places on earth. Reporter Jamal Osman travels to Kolwezi, a city dependent on supplying Cobalt, a critical component for electric cars and rechargeable batteries. Residents are employed by large multinational companies, or in smaller, and more dangerous artisanal mines. We meet the men who clamber down dark weaving airless tunnels to extract cobalt for as little as $150 per month. But is the paycheck worth the health risks that doctors have uncovered?
This is literally oil company propaganda. Oil extraction is an absolutely massive humanitarian cost that dwarfs all the cobalt mines in existence.
Cobalt extraction in DRC is an inexcusable humanitarian cost as well. I don’t deny that.
But oil companies like to run the line that evironmentalism and exploitation of labor are going hand in hand. The truth is that exploitation and capitalism are the bedfellows and cause here. Just as they are on a much larger scale with oil. Environmentalism has nothing to do with it. Greed, racism, a long history of oppression, and the psychopaths who run our world are to blame. Not “going green”.
A proper title and focus of this film would be " Making Money: The toxic cost of capitalism and greed".
No. It’s literally the BBC calling attention to cobalt mining with an eye catching and succinct headline which you claim to be against but then immediately forget about them in your tirade. Unreported World has discussed the oil industry before.
I bet you didn’t even watch it
Are you really that dense or do you have nothing better to do with your time? YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON ON EARTH
Yeah, not watching a propaganda video that is encouraging not going green. Tarnish mining operations, not the idea of going green.
Going green is a massive umbrella term that includes things like EVs, but also planting trees, reducing waste, recycling, walking instead of driving, public transit. This is just an inflammatory clickbait title.
EVs aren’t even really going green. They are less destructive than ICEVs, but they’re still awful for the environment.
Yes yes the merits can be debated left and right, it doesn’t change my point that they’re tarnishing the entire idea of going green.
Look, this one thing you can do to go green is bad! So you might as well not do anything!
Yeah I wasn’t disagreeing with you.
What you don’t care about the conditions of cobalt miners? Is it because they have the wrong skin color? Because there’s no pictures of them in your newsfeed? You don’t want to watch because you’d rather play with your toys oblivious like the petulant child you are? Get off the internet and read a book! WE DON’T NEED COBALT MINES! They just perfected a sodium battery, learn to stop hating black people for what’s happening to our environment!
I honestly have no idea what’s going on with this thread. My entire point was to criticize mining operations, exactly like what you’re saying, but don’t conflate it with the notion of going green. Honestly baffled. Then the person below things I was going against them.
I’m just annoyed that they used the term “the cost of going green”, when really it should be “The cost of mining batteries” or something. Going green can also mean planting trees.
People are really assuming my thoughts here.
Lithium Iron phosphate batteries already use zero cobalt and are proven tech at this point.
