EARTH Zine
Blue Undertones of the Green Movement Written By: NtebatĹĄe Rachidi
Illustrated By: Komal Grewal
Actions related to climate change mitigation are incorporating renewable energy technologies as one of the focal strategies for reversing increasing global temperatures. This shift towards a greener, sustainable, and hopefully more circular manner of energy production to sustain human development is reliant on the use of energy storage technologies. Lithium-ion batteries are at the forefront of credible energy storage systems with one of its main components comprising of cobalt (1). Although these actions spark hope for combating climate change and realising Sustainable Development Goals, we need to consider the implications of an increased demand of lithium-ion batteries for countries that produce critical raw materials and energy transition metals cio-environmental impacts are experienced daily such as cobalt, which essentially enable imple- by locals of host communities. mentation of renewable energy technologies. Mining and its lifecycle is closely associated with Cobalt, more commonly known for its blue hue, a range of distinct environmental and social imis classified as a critical raw material because of pacts, together with environmental impacts that its geologically limited occurrence and uneven transcend into social impacts, which highlights geographical position, as well as its accessibility the interconnectedness of society and the envidue to geopolitical, socio-political, environmen- ronment. People of Katanga have long endured tal, and economic influences (2). The Democrat- human rights violations and environmental inic Republic of Congo (DRC) hosts the world’s justices stemming from exploitation of mineral largest reserves of cobalt and accounts for more resources under the Belgian colonial rule (4) than 60% of cobalt global market supply (3). Re- that have since been maneuvered and rebranded newable energy technologies and the associated into what we see as the current day ownership mineral extraction for components within ener- of mineral resources by multinational mining gy storage technologies therefore pose environ- houses. Studies within Katanga, as shown by mental and social impacts for mineral producing Pourret et al.’s (5) have revealed extreme envicountries. In this case, the Katanga region of the ronmental racism associated with cobalt mining. DRC has historically and continues to be the The study found that the bodily concentration centre of cobalt mining which is why these so- of cobalt within individuals living in Katanga, 34