logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2021
30m 5s

The blood diamond of batteries

Vox
About this episode
Cobalt is powering the electric vehicle revolution, but much of the world’s supply is mined under deadly conditions in Congo. Journalist Nicolas Niarchos explains Congo's resource curse. Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Transcript at vox.c ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Susan Collins, political ninja
The Maine senator has dodged decades of attacks, but President Trump’s low approval ratings could be her political deathblow. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Dustin DeSoto, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and ... Show More
25m 39s
Oct 18
The quest for the perfect baby
Men and women are trying to maximize their reproductive health due to anxieties around declining fertility trends. But are we taking “embryomaxxing” too far? This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by David Tat ... Show More
30m 23s
Oct 17
Can you buy the midterms?
Republicans are entering the midterm home stretch with a staggering $1 billion campaign war chest. Will it make a difference? This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Vasilis Fotopoulos, video edited by Christopher Snyder, and hosted by Aste ... Show More
35m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2022
The Global Race to Mine the Metal of the Future
<p>In the high-stakes competition to dominate the business of clean energy, the Democratic Republic of Congo is a major arena: The country is the source of more than two-thirds of the world’s cobalt, a key component of electric-car batteries.</p><p>In recent years, China has esta ... Show More
26m 49s
Dec 2020
Why green energy means mining: the case of cobalt
"Off Message" presents Episode 6 of the new season of POLITICO's podcast "Global Translations": To understand how essential critical minerals are to our world, we turn to a case study: cobalt. This mineral is proving key to the future of green energy, defense and high tech manufa ... Show More
28m 18s
Jun 2023
The Ghost in Your Phone
It's hot. A mother works outside, a baby strapped to her back. The two of them breathe in toxic dust, day after day. And they're just two of thousands, cramped so close together it's hard to move, all facing down the mountain of cobalt stone. Cobalt mining is one of the world's m ... Show More
51m 56s
Apr 2024
92. Pedal to the metal: Why electric car batteries need to be cleaner and greener
This episode of the Weekly Tradecast looks at the rare metals and minerals used in mobile phones, laptops and electric car batteries with Clovis Freire, chief of the commodity research and analysis section at UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Electric vehicles are seen as clean ... Show More
13m 35s
May 2023
Does the demand for electric vehicles represent a risk or opportunity for Africa?
A few weeks ago the United States President Joe Biden said he wants at least two thirds of new vehicles sold in the US to be electric within a decade. The government say this is about positioning America to drive the electric vehicle future forward, outcompeting China, and tackli ... Show More
18m 30s
Oct 2021
The Necessary Evil
<p>Mining is a complicated business. It’s destructive, it’s dangerous. But in order to get the lithium we need to power the energy transition, mining could be a necessary evil.</p><br/><p>In this episode, we go from protests in South America to a gold mine in Nevada, where we tak ... Show More
32m 25s
Sep 2022
Promise and Peril at the Bottom of the Sea
<p>The adoption of electric cars has been hailed as an important step in curbing the use of fossil fuels and fighting climate change. There is a snag, however: such vehicles require around six times as many metals as their gasoline-powered counterparts.</p><p>A giant storehouse o ... Show More
33m 37s
Dec 2021
Nicolas Niarchos Exposes the Cobalt Gold Rush
<p>(Recorded October 4, 2021) Journalist Nicolas Niarchos may be the grandson of a famous Greek shipping magnate, but he can be found covering challenging and dangerous subjects like conflicts, minerals, and migration in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He is a reporter at lar ... Show More
39m 47s
May 2025
131 - Who Controls Eastern Congo?
The last few years have seen a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with Rwandan-backed militias advancing in North Kivu, Ugandan forces launching cross-border operations, and Western powers quietly increasing their presenc ... Show More
1h 42m