The Dark Side of the Battery Supply Chain

Is our “green” future actually being built on a global sacrifice zone?In this episode, I’m sitting down with my former New Yorker colleague Nicolas Niarchos to break down his wild new book, The Elements of Power. It’s a massive, globe-spanning investigation into the battery supply chain—tracking the line from the Congo and Indonesia to Israel, China, and the US—to show how clean energy’s big promises often rely on violence, child labor, and deep corruption.With conflict in the Middle East driving up gas prices, plenty of EV drivers are feeling pretty good about themselves right now. But as Nicolas points out, the supply chain behind those batteries is just as messy as the oil industry—it just happens to be working a bit better at the moment.We get into Nicolas’s firsthand stories from Congolese cobalt mines, where hand-dug pits collapse on workers with terrifying frequency. We talk about how mineral wealth completely runs Congolese politics, and why cobalt has turned into the “new oil” in a high-stakes geopolitical wrestling match between the US and China.Make sure you stick around for the end: Nicolas tells the insane story of getting detained by the Congolese secret police while looking into the murky overlaps between mining money, the president’s family, and local militias. It’s a total wild ride.P.S. Nicolas just launched a fantastic new magazine with another New Yorker alum called Now Voyager. Issue one is out right now, both online and on newsstands. If you’re into the kind of boots-on-the-ground reporting we talk about today, you’re going to love it. Check it out!This episode is sponsored by Bluecorn Candles. Use the code NONTOXIC20 for 20% off your first order.Non-Toxic Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nontoxicpodcast.substack.com/subscribe