1315: Nicolas Niarchos | The Dirty Supply Chain Behind "Clean" Energy
About this episode
Nicolas Niarchos discusses the hidden ethical issues in the clean energy supply chain, particularly focusing on cobalt mining in the Congo.
Clean energy has a dirty secret buried deep in the Congo. The Elements of Power author Nicolas Niarchos is here to pull the supply chain apart link by link. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1315 What We Discuss with Nicolas Niarchos: "Clean" energy isn't clean — the cobalt in your phone or EV may have been hand-dug in dangerous DRC mine pits by workers living under near-slavery conditions, earning barely enough to scrape by. China processes 70–90% of critical battery metals and owns major mines across the DRC and Indonesia , giving it a stranglehold on the global supply chain that dwarfs OPEC's peak leverage over oil. Supply chain audits are largely theater — documents have flagged child labor and dangerous conditions at specific mines, yet production never stopped, and conditions often worsened in the years that followed. Communities surrounding DRC mines face heavy metal contamination, mine collapses, and the world's highest rates of congenital birth defects — a catastrophic human toll that's invisible at the point of sale. You're not powerless: using your devices longer, raising concerns at shareholder meetings, and pushing elected officials…
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