African History
Kolwezi The Indispensable City Driving the World Clean Energy artwork

Kolwezi The Indispensable City Driving the World Clean Energy

African History
S2 E232:25
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Send us Fan MailThe provided text describes the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the essential but exploited center of the global cobalt supply chain. Centered in the city of Kolwezi, this region holds the vast majority of the world's cobalt, a mineral vital for the rechargeable batteries used in smartphones and electric vehicles. Despite the immense wealth generated for multinational tech and automotive corporations, the local population endures extreme poverty, hazardous labor, and human rights abuses. The author highlights a historical pattern of foreign exploitation in the Congo, where valuable resources are extracted at the cost of environmental destruction and local suffering. Ultimately, the source argues that there is currently no ethical cobalt source and calls for accountability from the powerful companies at the top of the economic chain. Support the show

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