“Cobalt Red”: Smartphones & Electric Cars Rely on Toxic Mineral Mined in Congo by Children
“Cobalt Red”: Smartphones & Electric Cars Rely on Toxic Mineral Mined in Congo by Children
The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces nearly three-quarters of the world’s cobalt, an essential component in rechargeable batteries powering laptops, smartphones and electric vehicles. But those who dig up the valuable mineral often work in horrific and dangerous conditions, says Siddharth K...
Tasers and combat avionics systems need cobalt, too, but never seem to come up as often.
Gotta play the blame game. Its our fault they exploit foreign children because we don't use the pay-rise they didn't give us, to buy ethically produced goods they don't offer, so that there is enough money to pay the slaves and quench their unquenchable greed.
If we paid them twice as much for their products, that kid wouldn't see a penny more. They'd pocket the difference for themselves because the free market doesn't fix shit.
One of many reasons why electric vehicles aren't going to replace combustion engine vehicles any time soon. #biofuel
Thankfully cobalt isn’t cheap. The latest trend in EV battery technology is to move away from it
Either by using Nickel rich chemistry in NMC battery or ditching it altogether and replacing it by LFP.
That's good to hear we need them to be adorable and not a gimmick
It's going to be hydrogen cars in the long run. We need a zero emissions vehicle that doesn't depend on rare or limited resources. That inevitably takes us down a certain path. If not hydrogen directly, then something made from it like synfuels.