Germany’s Rush for 'Critical' Minerals is a Human Rights Challenge

Click to expand Image  Artisanal miners carry sacks of ore at a mine near Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of Congo, October 12, 2022. © 2022 Junior Kannah/AFP via Getty Images By 2030, Germany aims to get 80 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources, and have 15 million all-electric cars registered. But the expansion of wind energy there has been slow, and the car industry has come late to the electric vehicles market. Also, this energy transition requires significant amounts of minerals, such as lithium, cobalt, manganese, and copper: resources that are mostly located in Africa,…

© Human Rights Watch - vendredi 9 juin 2023