As an essential element for 'power generation,' why is cobalt so controversial?

Global cobalt demand is expected to quadruple by 2030, driven largely by the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.

Cobalt is an essential element that powers our modern technology. The metal is commonly used to make lithium-ion batteries , which are used in items like electric cars, computers, smartphones and even e-cigarettes.

As more countries shift to renewable energy, demand for these batteries has never been higher. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, global demand for cobalt is expected to quadruple by 2030 – largely thanks to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

However, cobalt – an element that helps power electric vehicles and other technologies – comes with serious humanitarian concerns when mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

These mines have been the subject of investigations, press coverage, and even social media platforms like TikTok. Concerned about the conditions under which cobalt is produced, many TikTok users have pledged to give up e-cigarettes, which contain small amounts of cobalt in their batteries.

Cobalt is a metal that creates a blue pigment and is essential to the production of many batteries for phones, computers and electric cars. (Source: Getty Images).

Here's what you should know about this versatile yet controversial metal, according to National Geographic:

What is Cobalt and How is it Used?

This shiny, silvery-blue metal allows batteries to store huge amounts of energy while maintaining a stable temperature in both freezing cold and scorching heat. This ability makes cobalt useful in a wide range of aerospace, defense, and medical applications; it is also an essential element in many clean energy technologies.

Cobalt also plays an important role in the performance of lithium-ion batteries. Unlike conventional household batteries, lithium-ion batteries can be recharged and reused for many years, but they are also more expensive and more difficult to recycle.

These batteries can do everything from powering portable devices to storing energy on the grid. But the versatile material is also expensive, toxic, and difficult to extract and process.

More than 70% of the world's cobalt comes from mines in the Congo. There, 15-30% comes from 'artisanal mines' where thousands of freelance miners work in 'deplorable' conditions for as little as a few dollars a day, said Siddharth Kara, a research fellow at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health.

Kara has been researching human trafficking and child labour for two decades. His book 'Cobalt Red' outlines how the 'cobalt rush' has caused 'untold' deaths and pollution of the region's water, soil and air.

Cobalt is a known carcinogen, and copper and uranium are also found in mines in the Congo.

To determine how cobalt affects people living near mines, researchers at KU Leuven University in Belgium and Lubumbashi University in the Democratic Republic of Congo conducted a case study in Kasulo, a neighborhood in the city of Kolwezi.

The city lies at the heart of a Congolese mining operation. When cobalt ore was first discovered beneath one of its homes, the entire neighbourhood was quickly 'swallowed up' by an artisanal mine , researchers say.

The houses are interspersed with dozens of mining pits – where hundreds of artisanal miners 'hunt' for cobalt, while people continue to live nearby, seemingly with no health or safety precautions.

'Children living in mining areas had 10 times more cobalt in their urine than children living elsewhere,' said Benoit Nemery, one of the study's authors and a lung specialist at KU Leuven. 'The levels are much higher than what we would consider acceptable for factory workers in Europe.'

The major health concern for miners and communities living near mines is the dust , Nemery said . The dust contains airborne cobalt and other metals, including uranium, which are released during the mining process. Some scientists worry that it could cause long-term health problems such as lung disease.

'Uranium also releases a gas called radon , and in mines, radon levels are "very, very high". Radon is a carcinogen that can lead to lung cancer,' Nemery said. 'But we don't know how much lung cancer is increasing in this area because it's an underserved area.'

Are there any alternatives to cobalt?

In response to the environmental and human impact of cobalt, several major companies – including Apple and Tesla – have pledged to reduce their use of cobalt or source it from more responsible producers, according to reports late last year. BMW has been sourcing cobalt from Morocco and Australia for its electric vehicles since 2020.

While Tesla has reduced its average cobalt usage by more than 60% and is now using cobalt-free batteries in new models, the electric carmaker has also signed a long-term deal with the world's largest miner, Glencore, to buy 6,000 tonnes of cobalt sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo each year.

The deal shows that Congolese cobalt will continue to be an important resource for battery manufacturers, according to a World Economic Forum white paper on artisanal cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Recycling these rechargeable devices could be a key solution to reduce global reliance on mining, while also reducing costs for consumers and reducing the environmental impact of e-waste.

Redwood Materials, a battery and e-waste recycling company founded by former Tesla CTO JB Straubel, specializes in recovering materials like cobalt.

The company collects used lithium-ion batteries, breaks them down, and extracts their metals—including cobalt, lithium, copper, and nickel—to be reused in new batteries. Redwood Materials estimates that by 2025, it will produce enough recycled materials for 1 million electric vehicles a year.

Renewable Energy

To expand supplies of rare earth minerals and reduce our near-total dependence on foreign sources of cobalt, the United States has ramped up domestic mining. These materials are part of a long-term national strategy to transition to renewable energy and zero-emission vehicles.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector remains the largest source of carbon emissions in the country, and switching to electric vehicles will play a key role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

But new domestic mines — needed to produce raw materials for electric car batteries — could also encroach on indigenous lands. Some metals, like cobalt, are found within 35 miles (56km) of Native American reservations.

While these metals are vital to the renewable energy revolution, it is important not to compromise the health and safety of communities living near these mines, said Lisa Benjamin, associate professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon.