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The Real Price Of Gadget Addictions: Mining In Congo

First Posted: 07/10/09 06:12 AM ET Updated: 05/25/11 02:25 PM ET

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Mineral Mining Conflict In Congo

treehugger.com:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, scene of the deadliest conflict since World War II, remains mired in violence in significant part because of the international demand for electronic products that requires minerals found in the eastern Congo. The minerals mined here are used to make our iPhones, laptops and MP3 players, but at a great expense. Armed groups finance themselves through the illicit conflict mineral trade and fight over control of mines and taxation points inside Congo.

Read the whole story: treehugger.com

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The Democratic Republic of the Congo, scene of the deadliest conflict since World War II, remains mired in violence in significant part because of the international demand for electronic products that...
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, scene of the deadliest conflict since World War II, remains mired in violence in significant part because of the international demand for electronic products that...
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KillTheMessenger
106 Fans
07:57 PM on 06/09/2009
If I understand this correctly, we are talking about tin here. If that is so, the higher demand for tin is based on not only increased demand because of more production of electronic gadgets but also because we removed the lead from tin-lead solder, thus needing about a third more tin than before (typical tin-led ratios in solder used to be 60-40). If I also understand it correctly, Congo is only a minor supplier for tin, on the order of 5% if one can believe wikipedia, which in this case I wouldn't without checking where the data came from. Tin is by no means rare and it can be fully recycled if we wish to do so (and we should).

I don't think that would change the political situation in Congo much, but it would, for sure, help the environment.
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Trilby
111 Fans
01:50 PM on 06/10/2009
Yes it is no doubt the tin in tin soldiers, not gadgets, that must be driving all this mining.
Not!
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KillTheMessenger
106 Fans
02:44 PM on 06/10/2009
Please read what I wrote. What drove the tin price up was an environmental regulation which says "You shalt not use lead!". That's a really good one. I like it. We should have done this years ago. But the side effect is that now we need more tin because the required volume of solder is roughly the same. Now, if we had also made an environmental regulation which says "You shalt recycle ALL electronic products and reuse the tin!", the tin market would have seized to exist, a least the tin market that's based on use in electronics. How much would that add to the cost of a cell phone? I would bet it's on the order of ten cents to a dollar.

If you are willing to pay a little more, please go and lobby for such a law. I am all for it. I will be the first one to embrace it.
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