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Congolese Mining and its Impact on the Climate, Statistics, Impact on…
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Statistics
Even though the country has a minimum wage of $5.00/day, the average Congolese miner makes around $2.70/day.
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Due to the underdeveloped nature of the country, many statistics are either inaccurate or missing. Two notable missing statistics include the number of miners in the country and the actual amount of money made from the industry.
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In 2023, legal Congolese cobalt accounted for 70% of the world's supply and 72% of the country's GDP.
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Impact on Climate
The cobalt mined in the DRC constitutes for a large part of the materials used to make batteries, especially electric car batteries, and is mined almost exclusively with gas or diesel powered machinery. This partially negates the positive environmental effect of purchasing an electric car.
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Due to the extreme poverty of the country, people within the DRC have little drive, let alone the means to become eco-friendly, as they are mainly focused on survival and stability.
Emissions from Congolese mines have worsened climate change, which directly impacts the already weak food security within the country, especially fishing, which is one of the most important and common ways for people here to get food. Warming temperatures and water pollution have already drastically lowered fish populations in the country.
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Human Rights Abuses
Due to the fact that these mines are often unregulated or controlled by rebel groups such as the infamous Rwanda-funded M23s, government control is often lacking, leading to lawless and deadly behaviour.
Since 2003, an estimated 300,000 people have died in Congolese mines, mostly due to the lack of regulation and safety barriers put in place within these mines.
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Causes
Since the country was colonized by King Leopold II of Belgium in 1899, the country has been plunged into a cycle of violence, keeping the country poor and underdeveloped.
In 1998, the largest war since World War II broke out in the Congo, creating massive instability and worsening poverty in the region.
Western tech companies use Congolese rare Earth metals such as cobalt in their products, encouraging emissions and human rights abuses to take place.
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