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OUR MAN IN WESTMINSTER Chris Loder MP, Member of Parliament for West Dorset
T
his month, I would like to share some thoughts on ‘green’ electric vehicles because there is a much bigger picture to consider, especially regarding human rights. It is an increasingly important discussion, especially since many of us will move to electric cars over the coming decade as part of meeting the net zero target by 2050. This is a great thing, but we need to fully understand the cons as well as the pros. Electric vehicles have many benefits for us here in the UK, but, for many developing nations, their production is a human rights concern. This is littleknown and I think it’s worth shedding some light on the problems with the supply chain. 28 | Sherborne Times | July 2021
One issue is cobalt. Cobalt is a key metal used in the production of batteries for electric cars. It is a relatively rare element, generally speaking, but the bigger issue is that half of all the known cobalt reserves in the world are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where many people live in extreme poverty. To put the DRC’s cobalt output into context, in 2019 the country produced 70% of world cobalt. The cobalt mining industry is very dependent on the DRC, which means we should be aware of just how the metal is extracted from the ground. Most DRC mining operations are modern, similar to what we would find in the UK or Europe, but a
