Green Reads: Cobalt Red
“How can a sustainable future be built through sacrificing the very bearers of that future, through depriving children’s wellbeing, and worse even, through depriving children the right to be?”
-- Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives, Epilogue
Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives by Siddharth Kara is a deep dive into the lives, deaths, and stories of the Congolese people subjected to the inhumane horrors of cobalt mines, rife with child labor for a mineral integral to the manufacture of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that power mobile devices, electric vehicles, and so much more. Cobalt.
Cobalt Red takes readers on a journey into villages blanketed with toxic gasses, across rivers poisoned by toxic runoff, deep underground into unforgiving mining tunnels, and through the militia-run ‘Triangle of Death’ where, every day, Congolese people, including women and young children, endure assault, torture, death, and risk of being buried alive. The blood of the Congo flows from the depths of the mining trenches and collapsed tunnels into the hands of billions across the globe.
In a scathing look at modern-day slavery, Siddharth Kara captures poignant interviews with those at the center of the suffering. While facing colonialism, corrupt government officials, corporate-funded militias, and abject poverty with little opportunities for education, a path forward, though daunting, must ensure a future that is sustainable, humane, and flowing with freedom rather than blood.
What can you do to help create a sustainable future?
- Consider sticking with your current devices until they break, instead of upgrading.
- When you must, opt for second-hand/refurbished phones, tablets, laptops, etc.
- Encourage friends, family, and neighbors to do the same.
- Check out our list of more recommended readings on the subject.
