“While most of us look forward to having access to an affordable electric vehicle, there is a serious human rights issue that needs to be considered as society makes the switch.,” says “Canberra Matters” columnist PAUL COSTIGAN. 

THE ACT government loves announcements that do not commit it to doing much beyond what any normal government would be doing. 

In mid-July this government announced that it was to ban the purchase of new fossil-fuel vehicles from 2035. While the mainstream media went wild with praise for this giant step forward, most people simply smiled and said, really! 

This was nothing radical – nothing progressive. Based on what we already know and provided things continue as predicted, most countries would be doing just that, if not before. Most car companies are likely to have ceased production of fossil-fuel vehicles at least by then.

The good part of the announcements was that the government will be looking into the transition stages – adjustments to costs of registration and more charging stations.

It announcement did not convince the ACT Conservation Council as they put out a statement putting this photo-opportunity into context – click here for that.

While most of us look forward to having access to an affordable electric vehicle, there is a serious human rights issue that needs to be considered as society makes the switch. It is about winners and losers.

The west has been here before. There was the slave trade that made England rich, the exploitation of slaves on cotton farms, the children down the coal mines of England, the workers in garment factories in Bangladesh and more. 

It looks as though we will be repeating these sins of the past so that we can have a better life. We want to deal with the climate crisis and decarbonise how we live. 

The mineral at the centre of this change-over is cobalt. For many decades, cobalt has been an essential mineral used in batteries in smartphones, computers and now electric vehicles. The growth in electric vehicles has increased the need for this mineral.

Kolwezi, in the Republic of Congo, has been branded as the world capital for cobalt. Much of that cobalt is being dug by hand by miners desperate to make a living. They live in poverty without many basic facilities we would take for granted.

Meanwhile, at the other end of this supply chain are the wealthy car manufacturers. One of the most successful, Elon Musk, has a net worth somewhere around $200-plus billion dollars.

The Nuns of The Good Shepherd from Kolwezi tried in vain to get a motion moved at the Tesla AGM to get a better deal for miners. The motion was voted down.

Electric vehicles will replace fossil-fuel vehicles sometime soon – whether or not the ACT government makes announcements. The question is whether yet again the benefits of modernising will be at the expense of the lives and welfare of others less fortunate – being the miners of cobalt.

Here’s the challenge for those who love making announcements – Andrew Barr and Shane Rattenbury. 

Now would be a good time to join the worldwide movements that want to see a better deal being put into place so that the miners and their families receive a more humane share of the wealth being piled up by companies such as Tesla (and the others who make electric vehicles).

This is not about stopping the development of electric cars. This is about dealing with climate and reducing reliance on carbon while making sure that we are not part of a society that benefits through the exploitation of those at the bottom of the supply chains.

If Shane and Andrew were to work with others nationally and internationally to make that happen – that would be progressive. It would definitely be something worthwhile that they could announce.

For more, watch this 29-minute video: The Electric Car Revolution Winners and Losers.