Ok...mining geologist here. I have worked for several copper-cobalt mines in the Congo. This is NOT a legal, industrial mine in the Congo. This is a picture of an illegal mining operation, possibly run by a warlord in a remote part of the country but more likely an "artisanal" mine operated illegally and haphazardly by local peoples. **The journalist's twitter has posts mentioning that these are illegal, artisanal mines. Depending on who you ask, 2-20% of the total amount of Co produced from the Congo comes from operations like this. I believe that the lower number is more likely accurate.
Why do I believe the lower number is accurate? Cobalt ore is about 0.5% Co by weight and Co metal is about $50k USD per ton. That makes Co ore worth about $200 USD per ton. Being generous, they need to move 4 tons of waste for every ton of ore (likely much more) meaning that to make $200 you need to move 5 tons of dirt. Oh, and that doesn't account for processing because Co ore is not chunks of cobalt mixed in with dirt. The cobalt is present as sulfide minerals which requires specialty separation techniques. Meaning that the actual value per ton of that ore is far less. The margins for the mines I worked for were in the neighborhood of 10-20%...meaning that they only make $20-40 USD per ton of ore. In fact, most cobalt mines make more money selling copper associated with the cobalt.
All this is a roundabout way of saying that operations like this cannot possibly accomodate most of the 170,000 tons of annual cobalt production.
Are there humans rights abuses in Africa? Yes. Is this photo real and do places like this exist? Unfortunately, yes. Does material from mines like this get mixed in with the larger operations? Yes. But, this is an outlier and an example of what happens when responsible governments say "no we don't want mining here" and it ends up happening in places with less protection. There are promising cobalt deposits in Canada, Maine/Idaho USA, Scandinavia and other developed nations which are being fought tooth and nail...meaning development goes to places like this photo. The large-scale mines that do operate in the Congo provide jobs and security for thousands of local people who wouldn't have opportunity otherwise. I'm not going to get into if those mining companies are wholly good or not (ahem Glencore looking at you) and the complicated reasons artisanal mining is allowed to persist (local corruption, lack of oversight, political pressure from locals who don't want to be shut out, centuries of imperialist bullshit etc.) but this post is very misleading.
Here's the uncomfortable truth. Billions of people on this planet need access to clean water, electricity and infrastructure. Cobalt, copper and other raw materials are a critical part of giving everyone a decent standard of living. Most mining companies do a decent job of providing those materials as safely and ecologically responsibly as modern technology allows. There is always room for improvement, but this photo DOES NOT represent how the majority of our raw materials are sourced.
Do you want things like this photo to stop? Learn about mining, support mining operations by responsible operators in responsible jurisdictions, pressure governments and mining companies to be transparent about their sources and be willing to pay for responsibly sourced products.
Will this stop? No. Not as long as billions of people live on this planet and governments, corporations and individuals are willing to push the necessities of civilization away where it can't be seen just because they want to live in a bubble of comfortable outrage at the actions of someone else.
Edit...since this is gaining traction, I absolutely do not want to be thought of as whitewashing what is a big issue. Illegal mining is a problem but this post confuses the issue. I embiggened some parts above which I think are critical and I am adding this from one of my comments below...
"...nobody should "feel good" that this only happens a little. But, misrepresenting this atrocity as legal, responsible mining only serves to drive the anti-mining sentiment that forces necessary industries to the margins of society where abuses happen. Its like showing a picture of a drunk driving accident and saying "see what your cars get you?" Mining on this planet isn't going away, and unless we decide to either reduce the number of people who consume raw materials or tell some proportion of our population that they have to forgo a Western standard of living, we have to find a way to produce and manage necessary goods in a responsible, ecological way. I know for a fact that it is possible to do. I work for mining and manufacturing companies that do it right. But representing this photo as how most of raw materials are sourced is misleading, irresponsible and harmful to progress towards a responsible civilization."
Final edit: I am an independent specialist consulting geologist. I choose my clients and I work for reputable mining companies which abide by international standards. The professional credentials I hold that allow me to do this work would be revoked otherwise and hold myself to a moral standard higher than international ones. And if one more person calls me a CCP/Russian shill...fuck Xi. Free Tibet. Remember 10000 dead at Tiananmen. Fuck Putin and fuck off the rest of you in this thread who refuse to believe that someone is a propagandist just because they called out someone else's bullshit.
Ciggybear on December 29th, 2022 at 02:40 UTC »
That just looks like hell.
sciencedthatshit on December 29th, 2022 at 03:34 UTC »
Ok...mining geologist here. I have worked for several copper-cobalt mines in the Congo. This is NOT a legal, industrial mine in the Congo. This is a picture of an illegal mining operation, possibly run by a warlord in a remote part of the country but more likely an "artisanal" mine operated illegally and haphazardly by local peoples. **The journalist's twitter has posts mentioning that these are illegal, artisanal mines. Depending on who you ask, 2-20% of the total amount of Co produced from the Congo comes from operations like this. I believe that the lower number is more likely accurate.
Why do I believe the lower number is accurate? Cobalt ore is about 0.5% Co by weight and Co metal is about $50k USD per ton. That makes Co ore worth about $200 USD per ton. Being generous, they need to move 4 tons of waste for every ton of ore (likely much more) meaning that to make $200 you need to move 5 tons of dirt. Oh, and that doesn't account for processing because Co ore is not chunks of cobalt mixed in with dirt. The cobalt is present as sulfide minerals which requires specialty separation techniques. Meaning that the actual value per ton of that ore is far less. The margins for the mines I worked for were in the neighborhood of 10-20%...meaning that they only make $20-40 USD per ton of ore. In fact, most cobalt mines make more money selling copper associated with the cobalt.
All this is a roundabout way of saying that operations like this cannot possibly accomodate most of the 170,000 tons of annual cobalt production.
Are there humans rights abuses in Africa? Yes. Is this photo real and do places like this exist? Unfortunately, yes. Does material from mines like this get mixed in with the larger operations? Yes. But, this is an outlier and an example of what happens when responsible governments say "no we don't want mining here" and it ends up happening in places with less protection. There are promising cobalt deposits in Canada, Maine/Idaho USA, Scandinavia and other developed nations which are being fought tooth and nail...meaning development goes to places like this photo. The large-scale mines that do operate in the Congo provide jobs and security for thousands of local people who wouldn't have opportunity otherwise. I'm not going to get into if those mining companies are wholly good or not (ahem Glencore looking at you) and the complicated reasons artisanal mining is allowed to persist (local corruption, lack of oversight, political pressure from locals who don't want to be shut out, centuries of imperialist bullshit etc.) but this post is very misleading.
Here's the uncomfortable truth. Billions of people on this planet need access to clean water, electricity and infrastructure. Cobalt, copper and other raw materials are a critical part of giving everyone a decent standard of living. Most mining companies do a decent job of providing those materials as safely and ecologically responsibly as modern technology allows. There is always room for improvement, but this photo DOES NOT represent how the majority of our raw materials are sourced.
Do you want things like this photo to stop? Learn about mining, support mining operations by responsible operators in responsible jurisdictions, pressure governments and mining companies to be transparent about their sources and be willing to pay for responsibly sourced products.
Will this stop? No. Not as long as billions of people live on this planet and governments, corporations and individuals are willing to push the necessities of civilization away where it can't be seen just because they want to live in a bubble of comfortable outrage at the actions of someone else.
Edit...since this is gaining traction, I absolutely do not want to be thought of as whitewashing what is a big issue. Illegal mining is a problem but this post confuses the issue. I embiggened some parts above which I think are critical and I am adding this from one of my comments below...
"...nobody should "feel good" that this only happens a little. But, misrepresenting this atrocity as legal, responsible mining only serves to drive the anti-mining sentiment that forces necessary industries to the margins of society where abuses happen. Its like showing a picture of a drunk driving accident and saying "see what your cars get you?" Mining on this planet isn't going away, and unless we decide to either reduce the number of people who consume raw materials or tell some proportion of our population that they have to forgo a Western standard of living, we have to find a way to produce and manage necessary goods in a responsible, ecological way. I know for a fact that it is possible to do. I work for mining and manufacturing companies that do it right. But representing this photo as how most of raw materials are sourced is misleading, irresponsible and harmful to progress towards a responsible civilization."
Final edit: I am an independent specialist consulting geologist. I choose my clients and I work for reputable mining companies which abide by international standards. The professional credentials I hold that allow me to do this work would be revoked otherwise and hold myself to a moral standard higher than international ones. And if one more person calls me a CCP/Russian shill...fuck Xi. Free Tibet. Remember 10000 dead at Tiananmen. Fuck Putin and fuck off the rest of you in this thread who refuse to believe that someone is a propagandist just because they called out someone else's bullshit.
staplebench on December 29th, 2022 at 04:48 UTC »
Those are "Artisanal miners" They unofficially don't work there.