“They are two of the 40,000 children working daily in the mines, checking rocks for cobalt,” the “tell-tale chocolate-brown streaks of cobalt — the prized ingredient essential for the batteries that power electric cars.”
“They are two of the 40,000 children working daily in the mines, checking rocks for cobalt,” the “tell-tale chocolate-brown streaks of cobalt — the prized ingredient essential for the batteries that power electric cars.”
I haven’t checked in awhile but artisanal mining for cobalt is a small fraction of cobalt mining, that metal being a by-product of much larger nickel-copper-platinum group element (PGE) mines.
Shutting down the artisan miners would destroy their admittedly low standard lifestyle. It would only help the large mining companies, which are already benefiting from the recent rise in cobalt prices.
Cobalt is used mainly in alloys and coatings. Yes, it is also used in batteries but mining for cobalt could easily rise (dramatically) because it is abundant. The lack of supply is tied to the historic low prices, which in turn keeps away larger scale mining and processing. Also (if memory serves) cobalt recoveries are typically low as the concentrators are tuned to nickel recovery, then copper, then PGE, then cobalt.
Capitalism would improve the situation but given the basket case political environment of the Congo, the only likely alternative to what seems to be a miserable existence for these child labourers is starvation. Think NDP mentality starting from nothing rather than a capitalist country to destroy.
Captcha -Darwin place
But no ducks are slightly inconvenienced in this method of fueling so that’s fine.
We could easily mine cobalt with conventional mining techniques utilizing giant machines that burn……..diesel fuel. At least children don’t use any oil. They do emit carbon dioxide. I’m confused. Electricity just magically “happens”, right?
Trudeau should personally rescue these babies from the evil corporations and then murder them on the Altar of Baby Killing to appease the abortion Gods.
The thing is the media that are supposed to be informative on these matters is relatively silent. A very few actually do investigative work to uncover the horrors that make life comfortable for the SJWs and our ‘leaders’.
The pollution problem of disposing of all these renewable energy storage units pales in comparison to the pollution of creating them.
Here is another example:
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/rare-earth-mining-china-social-environmental-costs
Far be it for me not to despise Sparky Cars, but child slavery has been a norm in Africa for millennia, there is nothing extraordinary about Africans abusing African children. It is a cultural thing. Embrace the diversity you haters.
Cobalt? Sure, a bit gets used in those sparky-car batteries, but not much compared to lithium, which is truly the “essential” ingredient in those batteries. Further, the amount of cobalt used in batteries is dwarfed by its use in the manufacture of various steel alloys.
It may be tragic that there are children mining cobalt, but eliminating the production of batteries would not change a thing.
I shall use one of Saul Alinsky’s tactics on this one; whenever a pro-EV person debates me,I will hold that person to his own set of rules,as per Saul’s advice,”so,you’re FOR child slavery?!!”
Facts don’t matter,only emotions,so as I feel disgusted,nauseated,and appalled by this article (or it could be a hangover from last night’s test of my snake bite medicine),and feel triggered, our government has to reexamine the case for electric cars,with a possible ban on cobalt from the DRC.
Maybe we can just ban EV’s in pious little Canader. Horses may be the new trend.
No blood for oil, huh?
How about “No blood for Cobalt, rare earth elements, etc.”?
“Horses may be the new trend.”
Not gonna happen in progressive Canada. There has been recent outrage in Montreal and Victoria about horse-drawn carriages. Apparently it is exploiting horses. Better to keep exploiting children than give horses something useful to do. Don’t you know horses should be out loose running in the fields where they might break a leg or get hit by lightning?
” . . .lithium, which is truly the “essential” ingredient in those batteries.”
The inventor of the lithium-cobalt battery has claimed a major breakthrough in sodium, by micro plating micro glass fibers. Triple the energy density, lower internal resistance that allows charging in minutes rather than hours and . . . they don’t blow up.
On the other hand, I’ve heard “major breakthroughs” before, so I’ll believe it when I can order 18650s from Illumination Supply and they do what it says on the tin.
So far as I know … there are NO cobalt mines on the Penninsula between Facebook and SalesForce … so what’s the problem ? Or maybe if your conscience bothers you … you can buy some cobalt credits or some such indulgences. Out of sight (of your spin class) … out of mind.
The terrible, terrible price of eco-preening.