WOODIES X CURIOUS: Decarbonizing Mother Earth: Uncovering the Blood Diamond Parallel

Posted on by admin scorp

The shifting of globalization increased the demand for Cobalt. The transformation of the world’s clean energy is going faster than before. This is powering the strong relationship between Electronic Vehicle and Cobalt. Cobalt’s role in enhancing energy density and ensuring stability in lithium-ion batteries is indisputable. These batteries rely on the movement of lithium ions (Li+) between the anode and the cobalt-containing cathode. Cobalt helps batteries store a vast amount of energy while also keeping temperatures stable in the freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures.

However, this superstar-called element is frequently mined by workers laboring in slave-like conditions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By 2023, around 73% of the world’s mined cobalt was produced in Congo alone. Mining has long ravaged the landscape of Congo. Millions of trees have been cut down, the air around mines is hazy with dust and grit, and the water has been contaminated with toxic effluents from the mining processing. 

MAIN CONTENT

While the world is shifting to cleaner energy, Indonesia is still struggling to reform its power generation with almost 62% of power plants are still coal-powered (PLTU), and it is about 80% of the power generation is still fossil fuel by 2022.  The urge to switch to a better clean energy is a must and all sectors related to this issue to work together to better understand.
Transportation, is one of the daily basic life of humans. Vehicles are also responsible for the emission of CO2. On every mobilization of humans, emissions will always follow. Have you ever heard about tailpipe and well-to-wheel emissions? This diagram will provide a brief explanation of it.

Gasoline vehicles produced about 300 grams of CO2eq/km by tailpipe basis and 25 grams of CO2e by well-to-wheel basis. On the other hand, full battery electric vehicles (BEV) produce 0 grams of CO2 equivalent on a tailpipe basis and 200 grams of CO2eq/km on a well-to-wheel basis. In total, BEVs produced lower emissions than traditional vehicles. In Europe, the emission of EVs is 76-83 g CO2-eq/km which is 63-69% lower than gasoline vehicles with 245-246 gCO2-eq/km. This is supported by the basis that 80% of European power generation is sustainable energy. However, Indonesia still depends on coal to generate its electricity. One coal-fired power plant (PLTU) emits about 5 tonnes of CO2 for every 1 gigawatt of electricity generated. So it still gives us a dilemma whether switching to EVs is still a better option while most of the electricity is fossil-fueled. It gives us an out-of-frying pan, into the fire situation.

Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become an industry rife with severe human rights violations. It is often called a “blood diamond” due to its role in accelerating the world’s transition to green energy while being tainted by the exploitation behind its mining process. Twenty percent of Congo’s cobalt supply comes from artisanal mining, which lacks adequate equipment and is carried out continuously, leading to dig sites that are vulnerable to landslides. These frequent landslides have tragically claimed the lives of many workers. 

These “blood diamond” miners include not only adults but also children. Due to economic hardships, these minors are forced to sacrifice their education and work at these mining sites to be able to feed themselves. Harsh working conditions require children to carry heavy equipment and breathe in toxic dust, putting their health and well-being at a serious risk. A study conducted by Nkulu al. at estimated the average concentrations of urinary cobalt in adults (64 µg/g creatinine), children (193 µg/g creatinine), and miners (133 µg/g creatinine) significantly exceeded 15 µg/L, which is the threshold not to be exceeded in the workplace according to the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. High cobalt levels may induce systemic toxic effects, including peripheral neuropathy, sensorineural hearing loss, vision loss, cognitive decline, cardiomyopathy, hypothyroidism, weakness, fatigue, and polycythemia.

Workplace conditions force workers, adults, and minors to work beyond the maximum working hours while having to endure threats of violence from higher authorities. Another unfortunate fact is that for all of their effort, they are only given poor earnings, which are around 202 USD per month. If this situation is not addressed seriously, workers in the Congo mines will continue to be exploited inhumanely and the situation can grow to an even larger scale.

The situation unfolding in the Congo mines is one of several direct causes of the modern green energy technology industry. The issue cannot be ignored, and several urgent actions are required, including putting Congo’s cobalt mining industry under strict international supervision to enforce appropriate environmental and human rights standards. In addition, certification of cobalt sourced from ethical supply chains must be enforced as well. Additionally, efforts to overcome local corruption and legal violations are also essential to prevent further abuses. Efforts directed at workers may include providing standardized education and training that are necessary to reduce work accidents.

As the younger generation, we must take action to address the problems that occur in Congo’s cobalt mining industry. Efforts that can be made are to utilize social media as a means to raise awareness and educate the larger community about human rights violations that occur in Congo’s cobalt mining industry. Furthermore, we can also encourage the development of research relating to the green energy technology industry that can be easily accessible without violating any human rights. We can also take responsibility as consumers of green energy technology by using it wisely. By doing so, we can help reduce the global demand for unsustainable cobalt, contributing to a more ethical and environmentally friendly supply chain.

The use of sustainable, green energy technology must be balanced with the responsibility to uphold human rights. As a younger generation, we have a vital role to play in speaking out against the unjust practices that stain our human rights. It is never too late to take action to ensure ourselves a better future. 

The use of green energy does not have to sacrifice human rights

  1. Amnesty International. Rapporto 2023-2024. Infinito Edizioni; 2024.
  2. Indonesia | Electricity Transition [Internet]. Ember. 2022. Available from: https://ember-climate.org/countries-and-regions/countries/indonesia/, 
  3. U.S. Department of Energy. Alternative Fuels Data Center: Emissions from Electric Vehicles [Internet]. afdc.energy.gov. 2022 [cited 2024 Sept 18].. Available from: https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric-emissions.  
  4. Mera Z, Bieker G. Comparison of the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of combustion engine and electric passenger cars and two-wheelers in Indonesia. Washington: ICCT. 2023. 
  5. Power Sector Snapshot Indonesia [Internet]. www.sipet.org. Available from: https://www.sipet.org/Power-Sector-Snapshot-Indonesia.aspx. 
  6. Posner M. To Meet Global Cobalt Demand, Companies Must Reform Mining Practices In The Congo [Internet]. Forbes. 2023. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelposner/2023/02/09/as-demand-soars-for-cobalt-used-in-electric-car-batteries-heres-what-companies-need-to-do-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo/. 
  7. Norton K. Cobalt powers our lives. What is it—and why is it so controversial? [Internet]. National Geographic. 2023. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/cobalt-mining-congo-batteries-electric-vehicles. 
  8. Hafner M, Tagliapietra S. The geopolitics of the global energy transition. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Open; 2020.
  9. Nkulu CBL, Casas L, Haufroid V, De Putter T, Saenen ND, et al. Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo. Nat Sustain. 2018 Sep;1(9):495-504.
  10. Venkatraman V, Wong MK, Shalita C, Parente B, Lad SP. Cobalt-induced toxicity and spasticity secondary to hip arthroplasty: case report and review of the literature. Cureus. 2020 Dec 29;12(12).
  11. Funes Y. Congo’s clean energy cobalt mines don’t have to be so dirty [Internet]. New York Atmos Magazine; 2024 May 1 [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://atmos.earth/congos-clean-energy-cobalt-mines-dont-have-to-be-so-dirty/.  
  12. The Fund for Global Human Rights. Ending exploitation in the DRC’S deadly cobalt mines [Internet]. Washington DC; 2023 Jun 6 [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://globalhumanrights.org/stories/extraction-without-exploitation/. 
  13. World Bank. Cobalt in the democratic republic of congo [Internet]. Washington DC; 2021 Jun [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099500001312236438/pdf/P1723770a0f570093092050c1bddd6a29df.pdf. 
  14. The Centre for Child Rights and Business. Opportunities for businesses to promote child rights in cobalt artisanal and small-scale mining [Internet]. The Centre for Child Rights and Business. Seenen; 2021 [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://www.childrights-business.org/public/uploads/files/20211208/Opportunities%20for%20Businesses%20to%20Promote%20Child%20Rights%20in%20Cobalt%20ASM_2021%20Study.pdf. 
  15. Umpula E, Dummett M. The blood cobalt narrative: addressing human rights concerns or scaremongering? Business and Human Rights Journal. 2024 March:1-7. 
  16. Maconachie R. We miners die a lot: The lives of cobalt miners in the DRC [Internet]. London; 2024 Feb 1 [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://africanarguments.org/2024/02/we-miners-die-a-lot-the-lives-of-cobalt-miners-in-the-drc/. 
  17. Jaillon A, Jorns A, de Brier G, Geray M. How much does a miner earn? Assessment of miner’s revenue; basic needs study in the DRC. Antwerp: IPIS. 2020. 
  18. Amnesty International. DRC: Powering change or business as usual? [Internet]. London; 2023 Sept 11 [cited 2024 Sept 18]. Available from: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/AFR62/7009/2023/en/. 

CIMSliography

William Frans Lavejo Wijaya S (LORP CIMSA USU 2024–2025)

Nabila Nur Sya’bani (LORP CIMSA UI 2024–2025)