JRE 1914 · June 27, 2024

Siddharth Kara

crimepoliticsenvironmentbusinesshistory

Who is Siddharth Kara?

Siddharth Kara is an author and expert on modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and child labor. Look for his new book, "Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives," on January 31, 2023. https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/beacons-of-excellence/rights-lab/our-team/siddharth-kara/index.aspx

Topics and Timestamps

01Siddharth Kara discusses his research on modern slavery affecting over 50 million people globally, with focus on cobalt mining in the Congo
02Child labor in cobalt mines powers the rechargeable batteries in smartphones and electric vehicles that consumers use daily
03The Congo produces over 70 percent of the world's cobalt but workers earn pennies while multinational corporations profit billions
04Kara documents firsthand accounts of miners working in dangerous conditions without safety equipment or fair wages
05Tech companies know about these practices but continue sourcing materials through supply chains that enable human exploitation
06His book 'Cobalt Red' exposes the connection between consumer electronics and the suffering of Congolese mining communities
▶Kara introduces the scope of modern slavery affecting 50 million people globally0:00:00
▶Discussion of cobalt mining in Congo and child labor in the mines0:05:00
▶Kara describes firsthand observations from visiting mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo0:15:00
▶Explanation of how tech companies profit from the supply chain while miners earn pennies0:30:00
▶Discussion of consumer responsibility and what people can do about the problem0:45:00

The Show

Joe sits down with Siddharth Kara, an author and researcher who has spent years investigating modern slavery and human trafficking around the world. This conversation centers on Kara's upcoming book 'Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives,' which drops January 31, 2023. The core premise is genuinely disturbing: the cobalt that powers every rechargeable battery in your phone, laptop, and electric vehicle comes from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo where workers, including children, labor in brutal conditions for almost nothing.

Kara has done extensive field research in the Congo, interviewing miners and documenting the reality of what these operations look like. He's not speaking theoretically. He's been down in the mines, talked to the people doing the work, and gathered data that's hard to ignore. The numbers are staggering. Over 50 million people globally are trapped in some form of modern slavery, and a huge chunk of that is connected to resource extraction in Africa.

What makes this conversation particularly striking is how directly it connects to the listener's life. You're holding a phone or sitting near a device powered by batteries made from cobalt sourced through these exploitative chains. The Congo produces over 70 percent of the world's cobalt supply, yet the miners there earn barely enough to survive. Meanwhile, tech companies and multinational corporations are making billions. Kara isn't suggesting this is some shadowy conspiracy that nobody knows about. He's saying the major tech companies know exactly what's happening and continue doing business anyway.

The conversation touches on how supply chain complexity is used as plausible deniability. Companies claim they don't directly employ the miners or control the mines, so they're not responsible. But Kara's research shows that's a convenient fiction. If you're sourcing the material, you have leverage to demand better conditions. The fact that it doesn't happen suggests it's not a priority.

Kara also discusses the broader context of how these systems perpetuate. Poverty, lack of regulation, corruption, and global demand all feed into keeping these extraction operations running the way they do. It's not simple to fix, but it starts with awareness and consumer pressure. The book aims to make that connection visible for people who have no idea where their device's power source actually comes from.