However the mining and processing of these materials often involve many labor and ethical malpractices, such as child labor and borderline slavery. Both lithium and cobalt mining have a negative impact on the communities around them. Siddharth Kara is an author, researcher, screenwriter, and activist on modern slavery. If societies really want a greener future, technological shifts such as EVs will be just part of the answer, alongside other changes like more sustainableurban planningand improved public transportation. They say that rising demands for traditional materials such as cement for building hydro-electric dams or for copper, to provide cables to link wind and solar farms to cities and to build electric cars, could also cause widespread environmental damage unless care is taken. If you look at the production of cobalt and lithium used in these batteries, a stark picture emerges of an industry exposed to issues such as child labor, modern slavery, and the undermining of. Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in Smartphones, computers and electric vehicles may be emblems of the modern world, but, says Siddharth Kara, their rechargeable batteries are frequently powered by cobalt mined by workers laboring in slave-like conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Lynn Savarese/MacMillan Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has linked the production of lithium in China to slave labourand denouncedthe rise of authoritarianism around the world,calling on democracies to live up to their ideals through trade and foreign policy. Refining Digging for cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where 60% of the worlds supply is found. However, when we do, its going to be a big question for society. They must take remedial action on the harm suffered by people whose human rights were abused, said Mark Dummett. (Image courtesy of Trudeau's press team). Lithium mining, which is primarily done in South America, is often associated with poor working conditions and low wages for workers. There's money to be made in every corner and every direction. In some cases, predominantly artisanal mining is taking place. Its latest report in 2018 pointed specifically to risks associated with gold mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Peru, coal mining in Pakistan, and diamond mining in Angola. Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. automakers to shift their entire supply chain out of Xinjiang You need tens of kilograms more copper for an electric car compared with one with a petrol engine, said Herrington. Canada last year announced a tougher policy on critical mineral investment particularly from China as it worked to shore up its domestic supply after the global pandemic exposed supply chain problems. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File PhotoReuters. Well, you put them in a tight pit, cram them with 10,000 other people and pay them a couple of dollars, and they'll produce thousands of tons of cobalt per year for almost no wages. In industrial societies, on the other hand, nature is understood assomething external to humanity an object that can be mastered through science and technology. In Argentina, however, there are no signs of a turnaround in lithium mining. to ramp up production of the metal used in electric vehicle and Representatives for Tesla in China declined to comment. AymaraandQuechuapeoples comprise most of the Indigenous communities inthe Andes Mountains. "There's complete cross-contamination between industrial excavator-derived cobalt and cobalt dug by women and children with their bare hands," he says. Nor will these ecological problems be confined to specialist metals, analysts have pointed out. The Student Newspaper of Westminster Christian Academy. It's a demise that is almost impossibly horrific to imagine. The report, This is what we die for: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt, traces the sale of cobalt, used in lithium-ion batteries, from mines where children as young as seven and adults work in perilous conditions. All rights reserved. Several promising marine sources have been pinpointed, with the most attention focusing on metal nodules which litter some parts of the ocean floor. FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 26, 2023. Similarly, highland groups recognize mountains not as a set of inert rocks, but as ancestral guardians calledAchachilas in AymaraandApus in Quechua. The human rights group claims to have traced cobalt used in lithium batteries sold to 16 multinational brands to mines where young children and adults are being paid a dollar a day, working in. The United States has alleged use of forced labor by China in sectors including mining and construction. With regards to Tesla, I dont foresee any problems.. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. other batteries. I arrived in the morning and would leave the following morning. Wind and solar plants are set to replace coal and gas power stations, while electric cars oust petrol and diesel vehicles from our roads. But this promise is not worth the paper it is written when the companies are not investigating their suppliers. (Adds Trudeau quote on supply chain) By Doina Chiacu WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in China to "slave labor" as he discussed his own country's efforts to ramp up production of the metal used in electric vehicle and other batteries. The United States has alleged use of forced labor by China Kara, a fellow at Harvard's T.H. In November, Canada ordered three Chinese companies to divest from Canadian critical minerals, citing national security. Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Sharon Singleton and And not just that, they dominate the chain all the way through to the battery level. Major electronics brands, including Apple, Samsung and Sony, are failing to do basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child labourers has not been used in their products, said Amnesty International and Afrewatch in a report published today. Cobalt is used in the manufacture of almost all lithium ion rechargeable batteries used in the world today. 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. Elon Musk's car company Tesla is among five of the world's tech giants accused of aiding child labour in Africa. So you have people with no alternative, no other source of income, no livelihood. One solution put forward to these green technology problems would be to limit the exploitation of resources on land and turn instead to the sea to gather the materials we need. Their claim is simply not credible, said Mark Dummett. Modern-day slavery in focus is supported by, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Even the nightmares and the terrors, it's all worth it. Imagine an entire population of people who cannot survive without scrounging in hazardous conditions for a dollar or two a day. Jonathan Oatis). What's more, he says, "Cobalt is toxic to touch and breathe and there are hundreds of thousands of poor Congolese people touching and breathing it day in and day out. There are probably 10,000 to 15,000 tunnels that are dug by hand by artisanal miners. Electric vehicle makers already face criticism over labour concerns and environmental damage tied to the extraction of metals used in their products. Thousands of artisanal miners dig by hand in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Moreover, the work. The report says that child miners as young as seven carried back-breaking loads and worked in intense heat for between one or two dollars a day without face masks or gloves. So they dominate mining excavation on the ground. Monday, May 1, gold and silver, PCE Price Index reveals latest data suggests inflation slowing but elevated, The Metals, Money, and Markets Weekly April 28, 2023: Sittin' on a fence, Gold and silver: what you are really paying. According to the International Seabed Authority, some deposits contain millions of tonnes of cobalt, copper and manganese. "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. Mining the basic materials that power an electric car or a smartphone should be a source of prosperity for miners in DRC. What is very worrying is that none of the companies that we identified through our research and named in investor documents could trace the cobalt they use in their products back to the mines where it originated. All Rights Reserved. Diplomatic tensions between Canada and China have been Six said they were investigating the claims. It's not chattel slavery from the 18th century where you can buy and trade people and own title over a person like property. In Idaho, America's first, and only, cobalt mine in decades is opening, Belgium returned a single tooth to the Congo this week. The new firm is 49 per cent owned by Ganfeng Zhongkai Mining Technology itself a joint venture between Ganfeng Lithium and Jiangsu Nonghua Intelligent Agriculture Technology Co. with state-backed Xinjiang Geology and Mineral Investment holding the remainder, according to Chinas National Enterprise Credit Informational Publicity System. supply chains," Trudeau said. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. suggested that nearly every major automaker has significant And as they dig and earn their dollar or two, that's what funds these militia groups. The human rights group claims to have traced cobalt used in lithium batteries sold to 16 multinational brands to mines where young children and adults are being paid a dollar a day, working in life-threatening conditions and subjected to violence, extortion and intimidation. On Friday he ordered remaining ones back to the office, The housing market is shiftingjust look at earnings published by 2 giant Fortune 500 homebuilders, CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. 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. Bolivia is home to36 ethnic groupsacross its highland and lowland regions. They have about 70, 80% of the refined cobalt market and probably half of the battery market. Terms & Conditions. Trudeau Points to 'Slave Labor' in China Lithium Production, FILE PHOTO: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 26, 2023. In his new book, Cobalt Red, Kara writes that much of the DRC's cobalt is being extracted by so-called "artisanal" miners freelance workers who do extremely dangerous labor for the equivalent of just a few dollars a day. According to the government agency charged with oversight of the informal or. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. This is because removing these raw materials can result in soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss, damage to ecosystem functions and an increase in global warming (euronews.green). The introduction of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries has revolutionized . largest producer of lithium-ion batteries, known since pre-colonial times as huacas. In their eyes, reverence toward a mountain or the earth itself was worshiping a mere thing, a false god. WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in China to "slave labor" as he discussed his own country's efforts to ramp up production of the metal used in electric vehicle and other batteries. His new book called, Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, exposes the toll taken on the people and the environment of the Democratic Republic of Congo by cobalt mining. Elon Musks Tesla buys lithium from a Chinese company that is exploring for minerals in Xinjiang. ", Kara says the mining industry has ravaged the landscape of the DRC. China in response accused Ottawa of using national Now, add to that the menace in many cases of armed forces pressuring people to dig, parents having to make a painful decision, 'Do I send my child to school or do we eat today?' A joint venture between a Ganfeng unit and Xinjiang Geology and Mineral Investment aims to obtain quality lithium resources, Ganfeng said in a post on an online investor forum in June. And if they choose the latter, that means bringing all their kids into these toxic pits to dig just to earn that extra fifty cents or a dollar a day, that could mean the difference between eating or not. One of the largest lithium mining operations, taken . to be more expensive. All rights reserved. "If we don't step up, other forces will step in," Mr Trudeau told the Council on Foreign Relations inNew York on Friday. Xinyu, Jiangxi-based Ganfeng prioritises the importance of environmental protection, social responsibility and corporate governance, which includes defending employee rights, the company said in a statement. In Chile, for example, where the majority of the worlds lithium is extracted, many workers are paid as little as $1 per hour and are not provided with adequate safety equipment. Amnesty International and Afrewatch claim that despite the denials by some of the named multinationals, none of those companies named could independently verify where the cobalt in their products come from. ", Some 20,000 people work at Shabara artisanal mine in the DRC, in shifts of 5,000 at a time. One survey, in 2017, found more than 30 species new to science living on the zones abyssal plain, most of them xenophyophores considered the worlds largest living single-celled organisms. Online Profile, Check Any indication that Tesla, or another EV or battery manufacturer, is in fact collaborating with businesses that seem plausibly to be using forced labor would be very concerning to investors, said Richard Clayton, research director at SOC Investment Group, which works with union pension funds that manage assets worth more than $US250 billion ($367 billion) and hold Tesla shares. after a report by Britain's Sheffield Hallam University Rather than renouncing cobalt entirely, he says people should focus on fixing the supply chain. A representative for the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa did not respond to a request for comment. Huayou Cobalt supplies cobalt to three lithium-ion battery component manufacturers Ningbo Shanshan and Tianjin Bamo from China and L&F Materials from South Korea. Powered and implemented by Interactive Data Managed Solutions. "Our research shows that 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 . This is because removing these raw materials can result in soil degradation, water shortages, biodiversity loss, damage to ecosystem functions and an increase in global warming (. All rights reserved. Children as young as seven are working in perilous conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to mine cobalt that ends up in smartphones, cars and computers sold to millions across the world, by household brands including Apple, Microsoft and Vodafone, according to a new investigation by Amnesty International. shore up its domestic supply after the global pandemic exposed Each Andean community praises a nearby mountain whom they believe protects and oversees their lives. Last year, a USlaw took effect banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labour. Because we don't use slave labor," Trudeau said in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. The church and the empire believed it was critical todesacralize these more-than-human beingsand treat them as mere resources. But in addition, perhaps other cultures could learn from Andean relations with nature as more-than-human beings: an inspiration torethink developmentand turn our own way of living into something less destructive. However, extraction initiatives have facedsevere setbacksin the last few years, includingsocial protests, the 2019political crisisanda lack of necessary technology. has an estimated $24 trillion in untapped minerals. In turn, they sell to battery makers who claim to supply technology and car companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Daimler and Volkswagen. "Our research shows that lithium-ion batteries are produced with an input - cobalt - made by child labor," it said. by child labor," it said. In particular, direct lithium extraction demands a great deal offresh water, potentiallyendangering surrounding ecosystemsas has happened in other parts ofSouth Americas lithium triangle.. As a result, several organisations are now surveying the most promising of these deposits, in particular the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in international waters in the Pacific Ocean. The first democratically elected president of the Congo [in 1960], Patrice Lumumba, made a pledge that the country's immense mineral riches and resources would be used for the benefit of the people who live there. Last year, a U.S. law took effect banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about forced labor. of two Canadians on spying charges. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Junior Kannah /AFP via Getty Images Imagine an entire population of people who cannot survive without scrounging in hazardous conditions for a dollar or two a day. Canada last year announced a tougher policy on critical Canada has significant sources of lithium, Trudeau said, but I spoke with many families whose children, husbands, spouses, had suffered horrific injuries. They have no industrial tools, no protective clothing, no hard hats, not even facemasks to shield toxic dust or shoes. REUTERS/Blair Gable/File Photo. That could be a very difficult issue to resolve.. running high since the detention of Huawei Technologies The mines have taken over everything. In fact, the history of these competing notions is deeply entwined with the history of the colonial era, as different culturescame into violent conflict. Siddharth Kara's previous book Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, won the 2010 Frederick Douglass Book Prize, awarded for the best book written in English on slavery or abolition. A legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from the Democratic Republic of Congo . Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau links the production of lithium in China to "slave labour" and denounces the rise of authoritarianism around the world, calling on democracies to live up to . Cobalt is often mined by children exploited in dangerous and illegal child labor (dol.gov). Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. Ganfengs chairman, Li Liangbin, earlier this year visited Xinjiang where activists and Western governments report Muslim Uighurs are forced into labour camps to discuss co-operating with the local government on the plans. It is a major paradox of the digital era that some of the worlds richest, most innovative companies are able to market incredibly sophisticated devices without being required to show where they source raw materials for their components, said Emmanuel Umpula, Afrewatch (Africa Resources Watch) Executive Director. They use pickaxes, shovels, stretches of rebar to hack and scrounge at the earth in trenches and pits and tunnels to gather cobalt and feed it up the formal supply chain. More than 60% of the world's supply of cobalt is mined in the "copper belt" of the south-eastern provinces of DRC. Succession recap: Is it too soon to say we've reached peak Kendall. In a previously undisclosed document, it was revealed that the company is generating $250 million in profits per year while only paying the six local indigenous communities between $9000 and $60,000 annually (Frankel 2016). A lithium-ion battery, the type found in most smartphones, tablets, and electric vehicles The Biden administration also recently entered an agreement with Zambia and the DRC to rinse the supply. Amnesty International researchers also found that the vast majority of miners spend long hours every day working with cobalt without the most basic of protective equipment, such as gloves, work clothes or facemasks to protect them from lung or skin disease. Carmakers electric dreams depend on supplies of rare minerals, Mining firms face scrutiny over Congo deals. Ganfeng supplies BMW with lithium from mines in Australia and has not informed the company about its Xinjiang venture, the German car maker said in a statement. Huayou Cobalt gets more than 40% of its cobalt from DRC. Gcamines once had a monopoly on. Siddharth Karas plan is to uncover the truth about the brutal, illegal, and underaged mining practices that help produce 75% of the worlds cobalt. The United States has accused China of using forced labour in sectors including mining and construction. The concept of raw materials can be traced to the theological notion of prime matter. The term originally comes from Aristotle, whose work was introduced to Christianity via Latin translations around the 12th century. that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar Children, too. The remaining companies either accepted Amnestys claims or were investigating the claims. China to "slave labor" as he discussed his own country's efforts executive Meng Wanzhou in 2018 and Beijing's subsequent arrest He signed a deal with the Chinese government for access to mining concessions in exchange for development assistance, a commitment to build roads and some public health clinics, schools, hospitals, things like that and that opened the door. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, additional reporting by Ismail "If we're honest the lithium produced in Canada is going to be more expensivebecause we don't use slave labour," Mr Trudeau said. The United States has alleged use of forced labor by China in sectors including mining and construction. Bolivias lithium projects pose a new potential clash of worldviews. exposure to products made with forced labor. Help using this website - Accessibility statement. something we actually expect to be abided by. Isyour phone tainted by the misery of the 35,000 children in Congo's mines? supply chain problems. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. And I think that's also a part of this lesson that we need to understand historically, when we talk about things like corruption. I met people whose legs had been amputated, who had metal bars in where their legs used to be. A Volkswagen ID.3, part of the companys efforts to break into the burgeoning electric car market. In 2012, Unicef estimated that there were 40,000 children working in all the mines across the south, many involved in mining cobalt. The DRC produced approximately 74% of the world's cobalt in 2021. The largest of them is Huayou Cobalts Congolese subsidiary CDM. In the way Christians adapted his idea of prime matter, everything wasordered by its level of perfection, ranging from the lowest level prime matter, the most basic stuff of the world to rocks, plants, animals, humans, angels and, finally, God. "If the pandemic taught us anything,it's resilience, redundancy and reliability in our supply chains," Mr Trudeau said. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu, additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Sharon Singleton and Jonathan Oatis). Amnesty and Afrewatch are using the findings of the report to call on multinational companies to conduct investigations of their supply chains for lithium-ion batteries, to check for child labour or labour abuses and to be more transparent about their suppliers. Global demand for cobalt is increasing, but the global cobalt market remains largely unregulated as it falls outside conflict mineral legislation regulating the extraction and sale of other mineral such as gold, coltan and tin from the DRC. (modern). In the case of cobalt, 60% of the worlds supply comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo where large numbers of unregulated mines use children as young as seven as miners. None of them have supports, ventilation shafts, rock bolts, anything like that. 7. The disruption of the land can lead to loss of land and water, and can force the communities to migrate away. And so that's not legal, but it's happening. None said they had been in touch with Huayou Cobalt or traced where the cobalt in their products had come from prior to Amnesty Internationals contact. The battle to stave off Earths looming climate crisis is driving engineers to develop hosts of new green technologies. It goes back to the year 2009 under the previous president in the Congo, Joseph Kabila. China in response accused Ottawa of using national security as a pretext and said the divestment order broke international commerce and market rules. As the Spanish discovered the mineral bounty of the so-called New World, like gold and silver, they began an intensiveextraction of its riches, relying on forced labor from local people and imported slaves. The company pursues a strategy of having projects in multiple countries to help limit the impact of extracting lithium excessively in any single location, it said. The 17-year-old escaped the mines and now attends the school with the help of Good Shepherd, a Catholic charity. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which came into force in the US in June, will block imports unless companies can prove they were not made with forced labor. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday linked the production of lithium in China to "slave labor" as he discussed his own country's efforts to ramp up production of . Big brands have the power to change this.. Imagine a mountain of gravel and stone just avalanching down on people, crushing legs and arms, spines. Ganfeng said in November it had won a new three-year deal to provide battery-grade lithium hydroxide products to Tesla, and has previously disclosed other contracts with companies including BMW. Sometimes they're called commandos and they will abduct children, traffic children, recruit children from even other parts of the Congo. "If we're honest the lithium produced in Canada is going Imagine a mountain of gravel and stone just avalanching down on people, crushing legs and arms, spines. By Doina Chiacu China denies abuses in Xinjiang, a major cotton producer that also supplies much of the world's materials for solar panels. Department said in a recent report. Bureau of International Labor Affairs (an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor), Over 70% of the worlds cobalt is extracted from mines in The Democratic Republic of Congo. hide caption. 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. in sectors including mining and construction. I arrived in the morning and would leave the following morning I had to relieve myself down in the tunnels My foster mother planned to send me to school, but my foster father was against it, he exploited me by making me work in the mine.. Titled "This Is What We Die For," the report traces the. "Because we put forward environmental responsibility as He told researchers that prolonged time underground made him constantly ill: I would spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. I mean, imagine you're in a part of the world where there are millions of people who barely get a dollar or two a day who are grindingly poor and will accept almost any labor arrangement just to survive. The dangers to health and safety make mining one of the worst forms of child labour. A new metal-free battery platform could lead to more sustainable, recyclable batteries that degrade on demand. In one village we visited, people showed us how the water in the local stream that they drank was contaminated by the discharge of waste from a mineral processing plant..
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