Blood batteries

Global efforts to combat climate change are focused on phasing out fossil fuels and shifting to renewable energy. There is growing demand for metals and minerals, which are crucial for clean-energy infrastructure like batteries and semiconductors. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, for example, remains the world’s leading source of mined cobalt, essential for electric-vehicle batteries. But the absence of robust governance often prevents the gains from mineral extraction from reaching those actually doing the most hard and dangerous work.

The harmful effects of mining operations can also erode the green transformation’s vision. Research shows that unregulated mining can lead to social apathy and violent conflicts. While wealthy countries go to great lengths to procure and develop clean energy technologies for their citizens’ benefit, mineral producing countries could face devastating consequences if adequate protective measures are not implemented.

Shafi Ahmed Khowaja

Hyderabad