The invisible lives of cobalt miners and green traceability discourses
Cristiana Panella, Thierry De Putter
Abstract
The mobilization for greenhouse gas reduction has significantly boosted our interest in electric cars and green mobility. E‐powered technology and lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) batteries are now cornerstones of our green tech discourse. These technologies rest on the fast‐growing demand for rare metals such as cobalt, an essential component in Li‐ion batteries. This article focuses on the invisible lives of the artisanal diggers who mine much of the world's cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Their lives in Katanga fade behind the ore they produce. In the dominant green energy discourse, these workers become invisible actors whose corporeality, work and struggle are concealed and denied. We risk smothering cobalt miners’ human rights under an ecologically friendly banner.