Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice| Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information| Ad Choices China has made strategic choices over the decades that have made running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies Our mission to create cleaner living using natural resources could itself cause widespread environmental harm, scientists now warn. A worker hands a shovel to his colleague who is inside a salt recovery pool at the Llipi pilot Plant in the Uyuni Salt Flats on August 14, 2022 in Uyuni, Bolivia . Companies must not simply discontinue a trading relationship with a supplier or embargo DRC cobalt once human rights risks have been identified in the supply chain. that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar Between 2008 and 2018 alone, annual production in the major producing countries rose from 25,400 to 85,000 tons. "Our research shows that lithium-ion batteries are produced with an input cobalt made by child labour," it said. All rights reserved. The true figure is unknown as many accidents go unrecorded and bodies are left buried in the rubble. According to the International Seabed Authority, some deposits contain millions of tonnes of cobalt, copper and manganese. hide caption. At least 80 artisanal miners died underground in southern DRC between September 2014 and December 2015 alone. suggested that nearly every major automaker has significant The Student Newspaper of Westminster Christian Academy. other batteries. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. We are going to have to do that in a way that creates profits but also serves people and the planet.. Many of these multinationals say they have a zero tolerance policy for child labour. While all 60 lithium exploration stocks own projects that are focused primarily on lithium, 19 of the 24 cobalt-related stocks were actually focused primarily on copper, nickel, gold or silver.. And I think that's also a part of this lesson that we need to understand historically, when we talk about things like corruption. Despite its mineral riches, the DRC is one of the poorest countries in the world, and has suffered from decades of war and corrupt leaders. All Rights Reserved. Crucially, none provided enough details to independently verify where the cobalt in their products came from. Chinese firms also own, operate or finance most of the Democratic Republic of Congo's cobalt mines, the U.S. Labor Department said in a recent report. Volkswagen has also faced pressure over a production facility in Urumqi, prompting chief executive Herbert Diess to argue the car makers presence in Xinjiang can be a force for good. Prospecting for the materials to construct these devices, then mining them, could have very serious ecological consequences and major impacts on biodiversity, they say. Many of the mines use child slave labour. And as they dig and earn their dollar or two, that's what funds these militia groups. Today, an estimated 40.3 million people more than three times the figure during the transatlantic slave trade are living in some form of modern slavery, according to the latest figures published by the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation. This flattened vision of nature served as the basis for the modern economic concept of raw materials, which was introduced in the 18th century with thebirth of economicsas a social science. Carmakers electric dreams depend on supplies of rare minerals, Mining firms face scrutiny over Congo deals. It places all of Chinas battery production at risk of violating US law and global norms around human rights, and that risk is only going to grow as China continues to build up EV-relevant industries in Xinjiang.. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. According to the government agency charged with oversight of the informal or. Then there is the issue of lithium mining. His new book called, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives. And not just that, they dominate the chain all the way through to the battery level. It's a war-torn, deeply impoverished nation that has been subjected to generations of pillage and ransacking going all the way back, now centuries, to the slave trade. "Because we put forward environmental responsibility as something we actually expect to be abided by. Tesla and Apple among tech giants accused of aiding child labour in DRC Rather than renouncing cobalt entirely, he says people should focus on fixing the supply chain. In December, the United Auto Workers union called on Miners often breathe in cobalt-laden dust, which can prove fatal. Miners working in areas from which CDM buys cobalt face the risk of long-term health damage and a high risk of fatal accidents. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. And these stories never get out of the Congo. Released this week, it reveals a working situation so terrible for those that mine minerals used in smartphones that it borders on slavery. Around half of all cobalt comes from the DRC, and no company can validly claim that they are unaware of the human rights and child labour abuses linked with mineral extraction in the region, says Mark Dummett, business and human rights researcher at Amnesty International. China in response accused Ottawa of using national security as a pretext and said the divestment order broke international commerce and market rules. Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Sharon Singleton and REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo. Isyour phone tainted by the misery of the 35,000 children in Congo's mines? "We shouldn't be transitioning to the use of electric vehicles at the cost of the people and environment of one of the most downtrodden and impoverished corners of the world," he says. He said that some of the company responses to Amnestys assertions were staggering. The report shows that companies along the cobalt supply chain are failing to address human rights risks arising in their supply chain. I met people whose legs had been amputated, who had metal bars in where their legs used to be. Thousands of tonnes are needed to create wind or solar power devices while electric vehicles use two or three times more copper than those powered by a diesel or petrol engine. He told researchers that prolonged time underground made him constantly ill: I would spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. Hong Kong: First authorized protest since 2020 comes amid worsening crackdown on dissent, Hong Kong: Arrests for possession of seditious childrens books a new low for human rights, EU: Exemption on the use of products, including tools of torture, from planned EU business human rights law is a dangerous oversight, China: Heavy prison sentences for human rights activists disgraceful, This is what we die for: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt, Ukraine: Truth, justice and reparations for victims of Russian aggression in Ukraine ever more paramount following latest attacks, Kyrgyzstan: Drop trumped-up charges against activists who protested Uzbekistan border deal, USA: New regional migration measures will protect some at the expense of exposing others to greater dangers, Peru/Chile: Authorities must end militarization of borders in response to arrival of people in need of protection.
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