The innumerable benefits of cobalt mining
In the modern world, cobalt is one of the most important resources due to its uses in the production of electronics and automobiles. Without the mining of cobalt, major industries would come to a standstill almost overnight. Another massive issue would be the twitter backlash from spods about their favorite videogame console not being available as they adjust their 3-inch-thick glasses on their faces. For the world to function as it does, the mining of minerals such as cobalt, nickel, and lithium is essential… even if it means certain people halfway around the world are experiencing hell on earth because of it.
Three quarters of the world’s cobalt comes from one country; that country is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Enterprise Generale du Cobalt is the largest miner of cobalt in the country. The company was established in 2019, and although it has not been active for a long time, they have already shwon themselves as having shrewd business acumen. Rather than wasting capital on ethical methods of mining which will cost a significant amount of funds to keep their workers safe, and under decent working conditions, they utilize an army of what is essentially a slave labor force.
As a thought experiment if there are about 3000 artisanal miners in a single site that are paid around a dollar a day that accounts to only $3000 in daily labor costs. Now if mining companies in the Congo used proper equipment that would have much higher costs, I would think that is a chump move on the mining companies part. Why waste money on safe working conditions when you can enslave a whole population to satisfy the endless demands of gluttonous privileged individuals thousands of miles away.
Another benefit for mining companies is how easily you can replace a human life as compared mining equipment worth millions of dollars. If an enslaved worker speaks up or falls to sickness, just shoot them, and bring in the next blessed individual who is “willing” to work in the pits of hell.
Fortunately for these mining companies, the multi-billion dollar organizations such as Tesla, Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, etc that are partnered with these mines are just as soulless and greedy as them. Occasionally, whenever there is a social uprising against them by the bravest of twitter warriors, these companies are the masters at using marketing lingo to show the world they have turned a new leaf and never actually doing anything that would help those that are suffering. Similar to how an addict tells his family he has finally quit his vice yet leaves in the dead of night to stick that dirty needle in his arm.