Photo Credit: iStockConcern over cobalt's connection to child labor is often part of discussions about the environmental importance of transitioning from fossil-fuel-powered cars to electric vehicles. But recent reporting suggests that cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and elsewhere may be connected not only to battery production but also to gasoline and diesel production.What's happening?Rather than treating cobalt as a battery-only issue, reporting from Jalopnik noted that the metal also appears in fossil fuel supply chains.AdvertisementAdvertisementAccording to the automotive magazine, refiners use cobalt when stripping sulfur compounds from gasoline and diesel before those fuels reach consumers.It "shouldn't be too controversial to say child labor is bad," journalist Collin Woodard wrote, but these human rights abuses are not confined to battery supply chains alone.Woodard noted that estimates put the number of children working in cobalt mines at roughly 40,000.He also cited a 2017 paper stating that at least 5% of global cobalt production went to catalyst production and that, at the time, most cobalt used in batteries was not going into EV batteries.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn other words, drivers of gas-powered cars are also connected to the issue.Why is this notable?If cobalt is used not only in EV batteries but also in oil, gas, and coal refining, the human rights problem persists regardless of which kind of car someone chooses. And if the problem can't be fully solved through that vehicle choice, it means the underlying abuse itself must be addressed.Meanwhile, battery technology is changing. Options such as lithium iron phosphate and sodium-ion can cut cobalt use or avoid it altogether, and battery materials can also be recycled. As Woodard wrote, "Batteries won't need cobalt forever."The oil and gas industry also has a cobalt-free catalyst option — nickel-molybdenum — though its use alone may not automatically remove child labor from the equation without broader action.What are people saying?Woodard did not mince words, writing that "everyone still loses when child labor is involved."AdvertisementAdvertisementHe added, "The only way to win is to get rid of child labor."Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
