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Electric cars have a dark secret - cobalt. The element that is in almost all lithium-ion batteries is often considered a conflict mineral because half of all cobalt reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a troubled region with over a century of instability.

But is it as bad as the anti-EV crowd has led us to believe? What's the reality of the situation, and what are some of the solutions?

Big thanks to Zarko Meseldzija of American Manganese and RecycLiCo
http://www.recyclico.com
http://www.americanmanganeseinc.com

And Marc Kohler of Lithiumwerks
http://www.lithiumwerks.com

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LINKS LINKS LINKS:

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-tuesday-edition-1.5399491/tech-giants-sued-over-appalling-deaths-of-children-who-mine-their-cobalt-1.5399492

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/types_of_lithium_ion

https://cleantechnica.com/2019/12/04/powering-the-ev-revolution-battery-packs-now-at-156-kwh-13-lower-than-2018-finds-bnef/

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/aluminum-was-once-one-of-the-most-expensive-metals-in-the-world/382447/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congo_War

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War

https://insideevs.com/news/397883/glencore-supply-samsung-sdi-cobalt/

https://www.cobaltinstitute.org/assets/files/Pages%20PDFs/Infographic-Cobalt-Applications.pdf

https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/cobalt.htm

https://www.raconteur.net/manufacturing/supply-chain-transparency-blockchain

https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2019/05/01/new-world-bank-fund-to-support-climate-smart-mining-for-energy-transition

https://www.ft.com/content/e05d8582-2aef-11e9-88a4-c32129756dd8