BOOK: Cobalt Red

By Siddharth Kara | Amazon.com | 288 pages
Published in January of 2023

SUMMARY: Take a quick inventory of the electronics around you. If you have a smartphone, computer, or a device that has a computer chip and/or a rechargeable battery then you have participated in the cobalt trade. In Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives’ Siddharth Kara explores the sobering realities behind the global cobalt industry, shedding light on the exploitation, human rights abuses, and environmental impacts linked to the extraction and trade of this essential mineral.

“Millions of trees have been clear-cut, dozens of villages razed, rivers and air polluted, and arable land destroyed,” Kara writes. “Our daily lives are powered by a human and environmental catastrophe in the Congo.”

Kara exposes the widespread use of child labor (some estimates say that 70% of cobalt from the DRC has been touched with child labor), hazardous working conditions, and systemic exploitation that perpetuate cycles of poverty and suffering in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Cobalt mining is the slave farm perfected,” Kara pens. “The cost of labor has been nullified through the degradation of Africans at the bottom of an economic chain that purports to exonerate all participants of accountability through a shrewd scheme of obfuscation adorned with hypocritical proclamations about the preservation of human rights. It is a system of absolute exploitation for absolute profit.”

This knowledge presents an ethical dilemma for both consumers and corporations in the global supply chain. The demand for cobalt, essential for powering modern technologies like smartphones and electric vehicles, often comes at the cost of human lives and environmental degradation. Yet, no one wants to take responsibility.

“No one seems to accept responsibility at all for the negative consequences of cobalt mining in the Congo—not the Congolese government, not foreign mining companies, not battery manufacturers, and certainly not mega-cap tech and car companies,” Kara says. “Accountability vanishes like morning mist in the Katangan hills as it travels through the opaque supply chains that connect stone to phone and car.”

“As of 2022, there is no such thing as a clean supply chain of cobalt from the Congo. All cobalt sourced from the DRC is tainted by various degrees of abuse, including slavery, child labor, forced labor, debt bondage, human trafficking, hazardous and toxic working conditions, pathetic wages, injury and death, and incalculable environmental harm.”

This knowledge can be overwhelming and depressing. Yet, as Christians who are part of the here and the not-yet kingdom of God, it is one of our mandates to confront issues of justice, stewardship, and compassion in an interconnected world. Kara’s expose invites readers to reflect on how economic systems and consumer demands can perpetuate injustice and inequality, prompting a call to advocate for systemic change and ethical standards that prioritize human rights and environmental sustainability.

Distinctly from a Christian perspective Cobalt Red challenges readers to recognize the inherent dignity of every person created in God’s image. It calls on Christians to respond with empathy and solidarity, seeking ways to support initiatives that promote fair labor practices, empower communities affected by mining, and advocate for policies that prioritize human rights and environmental justice.

Cobalt Red is a compelling read that begs for action to be taken. It confronts readers with uncomfortable truths about the human cost of our globalized economy, prompting reflection on ethical consumption, advocacy for justice, and responsible stewardship of creation. Through Kara’s meticulous research and powerful storytelling, Christians are challenged not only to understand the complexities of the cobalt industry but also to actively pursue justice, compassion, and solidarity in their personal and collective actions.

KEY QUOTE: “This was the final truth of cobalt mining in the Congo: the life of a child buried alive while digging for cobalt counted for nothing. All the dead here counted for nothing. The loot is all.”

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BONUS: Listen to Kara discuss his book on NPR’s Fresh Air.

DID YOU KNOW? Sunday to Saturday has a Good Reads page where we post all of the books we have read – even the ones that didn’t make the cut.

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