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ethics.html
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<!DOCTYPE html>
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<title>
Ethical Issues with Cobalt Mining | The Electric Vehicle Problem
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<h1 id="header-title">The Electric Vehicle Problem</h1>
<h3 id="header-subtitle">by Justin Ramroop</h3>
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<h2>Ethical Issues with Cobalt Mining</h2>
<p class="paragraph">
Li-on Batteries are not only found in EVs but also in most
electronic devices, including the phone or laptop you may be using
to read this very blog. As mentioned previously, cobalt is a key
raw material in Li-on battery manufacturing.
</p>
<p class="paragraph">
However, the mass volume of EV batteries that would need to be
manufactured to meet the growing demands require vastly more
cobalt per unit than any other consumer electronic device out
there. According to Bloomberg, the EU requires 64,000 tons of
cobalt worth around $3.2 billion by 2030 to foster a transition to
EVs.
</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img
class="image"
src="images/child-labor.png"
alt="image of child and mother mining for cobalt"
width="1000"
/>
<p class="image-caption">
Congolese mother and child mining for cobalt (Image source: CBC)
</p>
</div>
<p class="paragraph">
Currently, 70% of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
</p>
<p class="paragraph">
Numerous reports and surveys have shown that the working
conditions in at least one third of these mines are dangerous. In
one incident, a mine collapsed and killed 63 people, burying them
alive instantly. Deaths and injury are a constant in the Congolese
cobalt mines.
</p>
<p class="paragraph">
Furthermore, the workers are criminally underpaid, earning 1 or 2
US dollars a day.
</p>
<p class="paragraph">
Many of these workers are also children, employed due to lax child
labour laws. While cobalt suppliers such as Glencore, who provide
Tesla with their supply of cobalt, insist that their cobalt is
ethically source, wage issues are still of concern, and there is a
lack of oversight in the industry. Furthermore, cobalt sourced
from unregulated freelancers are often mixed in and processed,
being distributed to major EV manufacturers and everyday consumer
electronics manufacturers, meaning it is almost impossible to know
whether you own a device which contains the fruits of child
exploitation or not.
</p>
<div class="image-container">
<img
class="image"
src="images/cobalt-mine.jpg"
alt="A cobalt mine with a child working in the dirt"
/>
<p class="image-caption">Image source: CBC</p>
</div>
<p class="paragraph">
There are solutions to this problem however, including better
regulation and stricter policies for ethically sourced cobalt from
those higher up the product pipeline. Additionally, lawsuits are
being levied against major corporations such as Microsoft, Apple,
Tesla, and Alphabet on behalf of the families of the Congolese
workers who have lost their lives or been injured due to these
cobalt mines. Finally, competition from a new store of cobalt in
Australia can allow EV companies to source their cobalt more
ethically while dropping prices to attract consumers.
</p>
<p class="paragraph">
At the end of the day however, this is a problem that must be
addressed by the EV industry, and the tech industry as a whole, as
we work on reducing carbon emissions. The moral obligation to
uphold human rights must outweigh profits in every case, and
fixing this problem is paramount, especially in the name of
ensuring a better world for us all to inhabit.
</p>
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<div class="footer footer-text">Created by Justin Ramroop (92423)</div>
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