Cobalt battery slavery [DeepDives 8 - Human trafficking]

This article part of the DeepDives 8 contest about human trafficking.
Now as this article will mainly focus on cobalt mining it will not always be clear that this is actually about the human trafficking 'mainly child slavery' It is my opinion that it is better to show the real issue then a couple of pictures of children working in the dirt without telling anything about he cause of the issue.

I will only show one child in the dirt as proof of the slavery, the rest will be about the CAUSE of this slavery.

Just do a search for 'child slavery in cobalt mine' if you want to be shocked a bit more.

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A little glimpse on a very limited timeline

2015

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/11/tesla-home-battery-transform-africa-energy

'Revolutionary low cost renewable battery'. But no mention of WHAT resources are used. How convenient.

renewable = Dual-use

2016

http://www.visualcapitalist.com/extraordinary-raw-materials-in-a-tesla-model-s/

If the cellphone industry already uses so much cobalt that children do slave labour to get the resources out of the ground then what about those 540 kg (1200lbs) Elon-tronics batteries?

2017

https://electrek.co/2017/02/21/how-to-invest-resource-tesla-gigafactory-battery-electric-vehicles/

Giga factory that makes a resource boom.
And who's children will be mining these resourcses?

and again: Dual-use

The more people invests in this giga factory the higher the pressure will be to deliver he resources. But that's not a good thing to mention in an article on a website that hopes to get lots of advertisements in the future, and what's better then having a slice of the giga factories ad budget?

In a very limited but carefully selected 3 step timeline we can see how things work.

Also as an extension to my previous article about Elon Musk I again use Musk as an example. But this goes far beyond this. Apple and other laptop and cellphone manufacturers also play a big part, but Musk really scales things up. As these pompous card are very wasteful when it comes to resources high-grade steel carbon fiber and petrochemical resins to actually produce the carbon body parts are actually very wasteful and produce lost of toxic waste that one way or another also needs to end up somewhere in the environment. What happens if a Musk-mobile reaches it's end of life? Can the carbon be recycled? How does that work? The high grade steel will finally be used in the arms industry this is after all the very principle of dual-use. Consumers pay the highest price to let Apple and Elon Musk make status symbols. Then when these products reach the scrapyard then the high grade metals and chemicals like Cobalt and Lithium will then be funneled into the arms industry using the consumer driven demand as an excuse.

Please read my article about dual-use and the example about dual-use that I published a few weeks ago.

I use Elon Musk's corporate activities to show the extend of the problem as his company is taking this to the highest level. But he is not alone, the entire electric car industry is desperate for these resources.

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Children mining cobalt

The extreme demand for Cobalt resources is what drives these children into slavery. The situation was bad already when the laptop industry had a high demand for Lithium fort the Li-ion batteries But our power hungry society is now pushing for more powerful batteries. And Cobalt is the next resource that is on the battery manufactures list.

Many cellphones and laptops already have cobalt doped electrodes. Though the real demand for cobalt is in the car and solar industry

In 1991, Sony was the first to start commercial production of Cobalt doped Lithium batteries
In 1999, Panasonic developed Lithium Nickel Magnesium Cobalt Oxide Batteries, these are by many the preferred type to use and what is packed in the Musk-mobile.
In 2008, Nissan and LG developed Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide chemistry.

This shows is not just Cobalt that is to blame. The extremehigh demand for these chemicals in the car industry is what is driving people in to slavery in resource rich countries where most people live in poverty. And it is due to the pompous attitude of people like Elon Musk that this problem is not getting solved. Over time the car industry is going to kill more children then ISIS did, and they will do that without bullets, these children are being worked to death, and the ones who survive the longest will be poisoned by all the heavy metals as they pick the Cobalt with they bare hands.

The world is shifting to electric cars and the problem is that it is the same people that are now producing the fossil fuel driven cars. They don't give a damn about people they just sell cars, if people want e-cars then that's what they sell. If that kills children in a far away mine in some African jungle then that's not their problem as long as they can somehow manage to make it seem legit on paper. Shift some money around and make a few people in key positions rich.

Our society has slipped into some kind of tech gadget madness. Our leaders push us to use apps for every single bureaucratic task without asking themselves how their bureaucracy will function without electricity. Or in a situation where google goes out of business and Android or Apple will no longer get security fixes. That could become a dangerous situation real quick. And to realize this and then put a stop to the madness could solve a small part of two problems. Society should never be at risk of gadget technology. And with less gadget technology on the market there would be less demand for battery powered silly-phones and their silly accessories

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Behind the scenes

This Cobalt issue is so damn huge that I'm having difficulties to figure out where to begin as this issue came from many directions at the same time. Cellphone and consumer electronics switched to Cobalt at the same time when the Solar and electric car industry where expanding their activities.

Lets ask Wikileaks where to begin!

3000+ documents...
That's needs to be filtered without loosing the essentials.
Thanks Wikileaks for providing the filter as well!

The amount of documents is still way to much but lets have a go at it.

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https://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_Foreign_Direct_Investment:_Current_Issues,_July_14,_2008

The Strategic Materials Protection Board met on July 17, 2007 and published
a report in September 2007 of that meeting. At that meeting, the Board determined
that the term "materials critical to national security" would mean "strategic materials
critical to national security" as specified in the statute and would include those metals
listed in Section 842 of P.L. 109-364 (10 U.S.C. 2533b). In this section, speciality
metals are defined as:

 1) Steel
       A) with a maximum alloy content exceeding one of more of the following
 limits: manganese, 1.65 percent; silicon, 0.60; or copper, 0.60 percent; or

      B) containing more than 0.25 percent of any of the following elements;
 aluminum, chromium, cobalt, columbium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium,
 tungsten, or vanadium,

 2) Metal alloys consisting of nickel, iron-nickel, and cobalt base alloys
 containing a total of other alloying metals (except iron) in excess of 10 percent.

 3) Titanium and titanium alloys.

 4) Zirconium and zirconium base alloys.

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"strategic materials critical to national security"
What does that mean?
Will people go to war for these materials?
And what I ask myself:
Will people die in differnet ways to get to these resources without waging a direct war, and isn't that a war in itself?

This document shows that Cobalt is one of the materials on the top of the list and is critical at least for the U.S. national security.

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Uganda:

https://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_Uganda:_Current_Conditions_and_the_Crisis_in_North_Uganda,_April_4,_2008

Social and Economic Profile
Economic Conditions
Uganda is blessed with fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable deposits of
copper and cobalt.

So Uganda is blessed with copper and cobalt?
Or is it doomed by it?
If there is poverty in Uganda then there is the start of a problem, as people in poverty will be exploited to get these materials out of the ground at the lowest possible cost.

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China:

https://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_China%27s_Emergence_as_a_Major_Economic_Power:_Implications_for_U.S._Interests,_November_20,_2000

Sovereignty and Territorial Issues. China's growing needs for imports of
petroleum, food, and raw materials carries important implications for certain of its
territorial claims. In recent years, Beijing has been pressing its claims to certain
islands in the East and South China Sea. The Chinese leadership views these
actions as more than just a matter of sovereignty. The seas surrounding these islands
are rich in fish, potentially rich in hydrocarbons, and have deposits of minerals,
including copper, zinc, lead, nickel, cobalt, manganese, iron, gold, and silver. The
South China Sea also is important for shipping. More than half the world's merchant
fleet tonnage passes through the Straits of Malacca, Sunda, and Lombok with much
of it continuing into the South China Sea. Those ships passing through the Malacca
and Sundra straits follow lanes near the disputed Spratly Islands. Much of the cargo
being carried by these ships consists of crude oil, liquified natural gas, coal, and iron
ore.

So that makes China an enemy of the USA, but also a Nation that is after the same resource. And that will bring more people in poverty at risk of slavery.
Now it is interesting to see how China gets to these resources as they are accused of 'buying up Africa' and that indeed is also not the best way, but to me it seems a far more fair solution. Not really fair, but far less greedy. But does it actually cause less slavery issues? But that is to much for me to cover in this article that is growing at a rapid pace.

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Congo:

https://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS:_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo:_Peace_Process_and_Background,_August_14,_2001

Congo is a bigger problem.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC or DROC), formerly Zaire, is a
vast, resource-rich country at the heart of Central Africa. It borders nine other
countries, and events there can have an impact over much of the sub-Saharan region.
Secure transport on the Congo River, as well as potential road and rail routes across
Congo, could be a great economic boon to the region, and Congo could be an
important market for neighboring states. As recently as the 1980s, Zaire was the
world's largest producer of cobalt and a leading producer of industrial diamonds as
well as copper. It has petroleum deposits, much good farmland, and great
hydroelectric potential.

"world's largest producer of cobalt"
That's a bit of a warning sign.

As we know that Congo is a very challenging environment. And the history if Belgian explotation of Congo is not a very pretty picture, and also part of the harsh environment combined with greed. This ugly history makes Congo familiar with the horrors of greed and the richness in cobalt don't really make it look positive for the people who live in Congo.

Congo and Rwanda:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09STATE37561_a.html

II. Country Specific Issues

A. Mineral Resources (ENVR) 

-- Details on mining of diamonds, copper, cobalt, uranium,
other minerals, and oil extraction: number and location of
mines, production statistics and revenue generated, and
extent of control given to China and other foreign
governments, companies or consortiums; export statistics.

Congo, Gabon, South Africa, Australia:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09STATE15113_a.html

AFRICA

Congo (Kinshasa):
Cobalt (Mine and Plant)

Gabon:
Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade,
synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade

South Africa:
BAE Land System OMC, Benoni, South Africa
Brown David Gear Industries LTD, Benoni, South Africa
Bushveld Complex (chromite mine)
Ferrochromium
Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade,
synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade
Palladium Mine and Plant
Platinum Mines
Rhodium

EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Australia:
Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Brookvale,
Australia
Southern Cross undersea cable landing, Sydney,
Australia
Manganese - Battery grade, natural; battery grade,
synthetic; chemical grade; ferro; metallurgical grade
Nickel Mines
Maybe Faulding Mulgrave Victoria, Australia:
Manufacturing facility for Midazolam injection.
Mayne Pharma (fill/finish), Melbourne, Australia: Sole
suppliers of Crotalid Polyvalent Antivenin (CroFab).

EUROPE

Norway:
Cobalt
Nickel Mine

As we can see the words "Battery grade Manganese" it is clear that battery resources are very specific in this document. But as Cobalt is in any way a battery grade resource they never use the word battery next to cobalt. But resources for batteries are very specific.

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New Zealand:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09WELLINGTON103_a.html

The CIG filed its claim in order to control access to
a potential wealth of minerals that lie on and under the CI's
surrounding seabed. Within the CI's EEZ for example (which
covers approximately 1.8 million square kilometers), the sea
floor is littered with metallic nodules consisting of
manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper. Of these minerals,
cobalt is the most valuable, and the CI EEZ is estimated by
the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to contain enough
cobalt to supply the world for 520 years. The mineable
quantity of the nodules within the CI EEZ is estimated to be
7.5 trillion tons. However, mining the nodules is presently
not cost-effective given available recovery technology and
prices for the same land-mined minerals. In addition, there
are concerns that recovery of the nodules would damage
fragile sea floor ecosystems, thus affecting the health of
Pacific fisheries. Nevertheless, many in the CI, including
some political leaders, view harvest of the nodules and other
seabed resources as an opportunity for great national
prosperity.

"Of these minerals, cobalt is the most valuable, and the CI EEZ is estimated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community to contain enough cobalt to supply the world for 520 years."

Does that mean that for 520 years to come New Zealand will be butchered for Cobalt?
New Zealand is probably not going to be a slavery issue, but i had to include this to show the 520 year time span.

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Cameroon:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/10YAOUNDE83_a.html

Ambassador pointed to the growing U.S.-Cameroon
commercial relationship. She noted that the bauxite mining
consortium Cameroon Alumina Ltd. (CAL), which includes American
company Hydromine, had fulfilled the conditions of its exploration
license and hoped to be granted a mining permit. She also noted
that American cobalt mining company Geovic had just resolved a
long-standing dispute with its GRC partner which should facilitate
completion of the project in 2010, although there were some
lingering issues. She also highlighted our desire to see Cameroon
take better advantage of the African Growth and Opportunity Act
(AGOA). Biya supported AGOA and agreed "there is a lot to do." He
was frustrated with the human relations management of American
electricity company AES, although he thought Cameroon's water
problems were more severe than electricity shortages. He was
delighted with Boeing's interest in Cameroon. He recognized it
would take time to build an airline but said that discussions with
Lufthansa to manage the new airline were almost completed and he
had just selected two directors for CAMAIRCO, one from the
Netherlands and one from Austria.

That is enough to start a DeepDives article in itself.

This again shows how important of a resource cobalt is in this day and age.
Is Cobalt the new oil? It sure looks like it.

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China:

GREEN CARS: COULD GUANGDONG HELP CHINA BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER?

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/09GUANGZHOU314_a.html

One of the competitive advantages that BYD has is its
expertise in the battery market, the key component in an electric
vehicle. The e6 is powered by BYD's Fe battery, a lithium-ion
battery using iron-phosphate, which is more cost efficient and
chemically stable compared to conventional cobalt-based lithium-ion
batteries. According to the firm, the Fe battery can be charged to
50% of its capacity in ten minutes; the remaining 50% takes hours to
charge. In addition, the Fe battery maintains 80% of its initial
capacity after being charged and fully discharged through 2000
cycles. The battery is likely to last 7-10 years, which eliminates
the need to replace it during the normal life of the vehicle.

So there are alternatives, yet they also need resources...
This cable just shows that batteries are very important in the years to come.

There is a lot more in this document that should be looked at to get an idea how China moving forward. And how China has a different approach to all of this.

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Zambia:

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08KINSHASA515_a.html

The African copper-cobalt belt (or Lufilian Arc) hosts an
incredible quantity and variety of sedimentary-hosted oxide and
sulphide copper-bearing deposits with associated cobalt. It is a
world-scale deposit on a par with the South African Bushveld for
platinum and Witwatersrand for gold. Reasonable geologists can
debate for a long time on the complex geological phenomenon of
sedimentation and the successive infiltration of salts, oxidants,
organics, and other chemicals, in advance of tectonic action that
formed the unique deposits at each mine. Each mine deposit requires
a unique mining approach and chemical processing to extract an
intermediate or final copper product for sale. But, this is usually
the easy part, compared to grappling with government interference
and logistics in and out of the mine.

And here we have another potential slavery scenario.

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08KINSHASA663_a.html

This cable is all about cobalt mega does not seem to cover the scale. Giga would have been a better word

International companies are investing in
ambitious mega-projects on both sides of the DRC/Zambia copper belt,
despite significant government interference and infrastructure
challenges (reftels). The region represents the world's second
greatest source of copper and greatest source of cobalt, which is
present in some - but not all - of the copper mines. Cobalt has
growing industrial applications and exhibits thin supply from a
volatile region, which has led to surging, volatile prices. The
DRC's Tenke Fungurume (Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc.) and
Kolwezi Tailings (First Quantum Minerals Ltd.), Zambia's Chambishi
(Chinese interests) and a few others will produce significant
incremental cobalt to the global market. End Summary.

The scale of this project shows the area how much value there is in cobalt, and that then leads greedy people to expolit that situation.

https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08LUSAKA666_a.html

North-western Zambia's Lumwana Mine is noteworthy
because of its remoteness from the "traditional" Copperbelt with its
high grade copper and cobalt ores, and for its very large but
low-grade copper reserves and resource base. Discrete younger
deposits of uranium are intimately associated with the copper and
will be selectively mined and stockpiled until the uranium plant is
completed in mid-2010. This mineral association is fairly unique
and comparable with Shinkolobwe in the DRC (source of the "Manhattan
Project") and Olympic Dam in Australia. The mine is currently in
the final stages of development and first production of first copper
concentrate is targeted for September 2008. This schedule has not
been significantly affected by the power cut-offs and shortages
plaguing Zambia. When in full production next year, Lumwana will be
the biggest surface operation and copper-producer in Africa,
twentieth largest copper producer in the world, and will add 35
percent to Zambia's copper output. Total estimated capital cost of
the project is about $800 million, which is the largest investment
ever made in Zambia. Mine life is estimated to be 37 years, but
known mineralization is extensive and production could continue far
beyond that time. Lumwana is wholly owned and operated by Equinox
Minerals of Australia, which is listed on both the Australian and
Toronto stock exchanges.

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And it goes on and on...

So why did I not write much about enslaved children you may wonder.

Well I did. The slave children are a result of all this cobalt madness. Cobalt is the source, followed by greed, resulting in exploitation.

When you look at child slavery in cobalt mines, then take one step back and you see greedy people who want a piece of the pie. Then take another step back and you see the local cobalt industry, take another step back and you see a national level of a cobalt mining nation. Etc. Until you see the issue on a global scale.

Greedy corporations willing to sell the next big gadget to the masses. Electric cars.

And it all starts with US, We the people. We the 'american dreamers'. The Hollywood brainwashed people on planet earth who are 'lead to beleive' on a biblical scale that we need all these gadgets and we need to have a better gadget then our neighbor has.

This is the real problem. US. We the people are the problem.

If we don't want child slavery then WE need to stop buying SHIT that breaks at the slightest fart. We need stuff that does NOT break. So lets get rid of Western 'design' that cuts corners, then gets produced in China where even more corners are cut.

Lets buy Chinese design that looks crap but does NOT break as easy and when it breaks then repair it. And eventually make a BETTER design.

Like the German engineering of not so long ago. When power tools simply did not break unless they where worn out to the bone. Nowadays you sneeze and stuff breaks for no reason at all. This is a long way to move away from slavery but we do not need a Elon Musk car. with 4 seats while only one person used the car to drive to the boss to use up a 4 seat parking space all day long do we?

Now I'm sure many readers who actually made it this far to the end of my article have lost the plot just like I did. But this is the actual REAL cause of the child slavery.
We want gadgets bigger then actually needed.

How many people are using a ridiculous overpriced macbook or crappy iPad to read this article? I use a second hand laptop that is held together by stickers to write this, the cheapest I could get at the time. And I'm now using it for the past 3 years. I've spend less then 200 Euros for 3 years of computing and this machine at least needs to keep working another year, maybe even longer. And I have a better keyboard, a screen that is good enough, and in case of a failure it can be repaired at a low cost. When a macbook breaks then apple charges more then the value of the entire machine I am using to write this article. So worst case for me is that i need to buy a fresh second-hand laptop and I'll be able to continue for the next 4 years or so.

And this also counts for Elon Musk Mobiles vs second hand Renault Twizy.

No I don't want to be a Twizy salesman. The damn thing also is a cobalt slavery kit.
But then again, a second hand Twizy may actually be the best option in the next few years.