Cobalt

Former President Obama wrote a book about his father living in Africa where the British used slave labor to mine for minerals. His book tales the story of how his father fought against colonialism and he himself has expressed his disgust with the way the rich western countries exploited Africa. Today the US gets most of its cobalt from Africa where children as young a four dig up sacks full of rocks where they then load them on trucks to be carried to the refinery. These rocks contain cobalt which is needed for electric cars and windmills. This part of the new green deal is rarely mentioned by the likes of Al Gore and his associates. The Biden administration opened the door to financing mining projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia to bolster the global green energy supply chain as it pushes ahead with its climate agenda, despite the DRC's documented issues with child laborers being used in such mines.  Many children inhale cobalt dust with no masks or gloves. They work up to 12 hours a day hauling sacks that weigh up to 80 pounds. They sometimes spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. Overall, about 40,000 children are believed to work in mines in southern DRC, according to UNICEF. Cobalt is only one of many metals needed for the new green deal and most of the others have similar mining problems.