Dr. Siddharth Kara is a British Academy Global Professor and a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He’s also an author, researcher, and activist on modern slavery.

His latest book is Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery — those are the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles.

His book “Cobalt Red” is the first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining.

I recently sat down with Siddharth and he told me that roughly 75% of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in subhuman conditions. And why we must all care about what is happening in the Congo, and what we can do about it.

Topics Discussed:

● An Introduction to Siddharth Kara (00:00:00)

● The Dark Truth About Congo’s Cobalt Mining (00:01:59)

● The Danger of Artisanal Mining (00:10:06)

● China’s Role in Congolese Mining (00:21:32)

● Electric Vehicles and Environmental Destruction (00:27:36)

● Why Children Are Being Forced to Mine Cobalt (00:35:07)

● How Easily the Problem Could Be Fixed(00:39:00)

● The Harsh Reality of Life in the Congo (00:47:25)

● Big Tech Driving Demand for Cobalt (00:55:47)

● From Blood Diamonds to Blood Cobalt (01:02:51)

● It’s Time to Challenge Congress (01:07:27)

Guest Bio:

Siddharth Kara is a British Academy Global Professor and a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He’s also an author, researcher, and activist on modern slavery.

His latest book is Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives.

Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery—those are the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles.

His book “Cobalt Red” is the first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining.

Resources Mentioned:

Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives