As countries are rapidly seeking to move away from fossil fuels and electrify the transportation sector, the demand for cobalt is rapidly increasing. However, the supply of this sought-after mineral presents serious moral dilemmas, making it time to acknowledge the cost of going green. For many, the 2006 film Blood Diamond was undoubtedly the first introduction to the concept of “blood diamonds”: diamonds mined in a war zone, generally under poor labor conditions, in order to finance war efforts, insurgencies, or other illicit purposes. Blood diamonds have played a significant role in a series of brutal and bloody conflicts in Middle and Western Africa – the civil wars in the Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone being arguably the most notable examples. Although the UN has tried to limit the illicit diamond trade, this has proven rather insufficient as the trade continues.
Also make sure to follow us on: