Mobile Phones And The Environment I have a smartphone and although I hardly use social networks or understand the many things it can do, I’d say it’s still an essential part of my daily life. But it’s only recently that I’ve become aware of the darker side of owning that phone: its impact on Climate Change, on deforestation, and the exploitation involved in mining for electronics. Last year, after schools and businesses closed during the Covid lockdown, remote working and learning via video-conferencing became the main means of communication. As a result, there was a 26% increase in sales of smartphones, tablets and computers. Additionally, with growing concern about the Climate Crisis there has also been an unprecedented rise in sales of rechargeable electric and hybrid vehicles all of which use Lithium-ion batteries too. Lithium is needed for the batteries to make our electronic devices work, whilst the phones themselves use rare-earth minerals Cobalt and Tantalum from the ore Coltan. It’s worth noting too that all the world’s wind turbines producing ‘Green’ Energy use these rare-earth minerals in their technology. Coltan is a highly precious and sought-after ore, being extracted on an industrial scale by multinational companies who are making vast profits as a result. Over 60% of world production originates in the Democratic Republic of Congo where 20% of the mines are small-scale and use mostly child workers aged between 3 and 17, who have to work in appalling and dangerous conditions, usually barefoot. Unicef estimates that 42% of DRC’s children work in the mines. Extreme poverty means that working in the mines is a necessity for many Congolese families, who are left with no choice but to send their children to work. Whilst other children work there in order to be able to buy food and clothes or simply pay for school. According to an Amnesty International report, children work for at least 12 hours a day
without protective equipment in deep underground shafts around 10 metres long, which they have often dug themselves. With no mask or helmet, they go down into the shafts unprotected and put their lives in danger to bring mineralencrusted rocks to the surface. They are paid a dollar a day or less, and are exposed to huge risks including fatal mine collapses, industrial injuries and many serious health issues including cancer, mercury poisoning and respiratory diseases. For more information on these shocking facts visit the Thetford Extinction Rebellion Facebook page. So, as I am now aware of my part in this problem, what can I do? The technology isn’t going away, but some of the things I could do are: Make do with the phone I have and not upgrade it. When it breaks, get it fixed or buy a reconditioned mobile phone. Support organisations such as Amnesty International, or charities working for children’s rights. Write to the local MP to demand social justice for people overseas who are being exploited. This includes ending the corruption in source countries (such as China, the US, plus Germany and South Korea) where multinational companies are buying these minerals. And finally, I have to be aware that my life and habits must and will change in response to the Climate Crisis, and the social injustices it will bring. Extinction Rebellion Thetford
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