How REALLY Cobalt Mining Works (The Dark Truth)

Video Description

Lukas is 20 years old. He has spent the last seven years underground. Every day, he descends into narrow tunnels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, crawling through spaces barely wide enough to fit his body. He searches for cobalt—a blue mineral that powers the modern world. He earns $2-5 per day. He has no safety equipment. The tunnels collapse regularly. Lukas is one of over 255,000 artisanal miners working in Congolese cobalt mines. More than 40,000 are children. 70% of the world's cobalt comes from these mines. The mineral they extract with their bare hands ends up in lithium-ion batteries—powering electric vehicles, laptops, phones, and the entire "green revolution." This is the reality behind the blue stone. --- 🔵 WHAT IS BLOOD COBALT? Cobalt extracted through dangerous, unregulated mining operations involving child labor and deadly working conditions. 📊 THE NUMBERS: - 70% of world's cobalt from DRC - 255,000+ artisanal miners - 40,000+ children working - $2-5 daily wage - No safety equipment - Regular tunnel collapses ⚠️ WHY IT MATTERS: The "green revolution" requires massive amounts of cobalt. Tech and automotive companies cannot—or will not—trace their supply chains to the source. --- 📚 SOURCES: - Amnesty International: "This is What We Die For" (2016) - Siddharth Kara: "Cobalt Red" (2023) - UNICEF: Child Labour in DRC Mines (2022) - Human Rights Watch investigations Learn more: amnesty.org | afrewatch.org --- 🔧 WHAT YOU CAN DO: - Demand supply chain transparency from companies - Support organizations working with mining communities - Share this story --- This film uses AI-generated footage based on extensively documented conditions. No children were filmed. All scenarios reflect real reported situations from credible human rights organizations. --- 🎥 DEEP DOWN explores industrial processes and global supply chains—revealing how the world really works. Subscribe for more investigations. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License for the use of the track “Constance – The Descent” (artist: Kevin MacLeod): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100850 Artist: http://incompetech.com/