Constant Reader discussion

It appears that Ann hasn't been able to kick off the discussion of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives yet. I haven't read the book, but I'm going to post this note to open a place for those who have read the book to start discussing on their own.

I hope that Ann will be able to come join in the discussion at some point. In the meantime, the floor is open to anyone who wants to contribute.

I read the book last year and still think about it. Kara lays out the devastating toll of cobalt mining on the people of the Congo. It’s a complex problem and his stated goal in writing the book was to shed light on the situation, nevertheless he received some criticism for not offering up any solutions in the book.

Here’s a link to my brief review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am still reading the book now and am almost done. I think it's appalling that companies using the cobalt for their batteries pretend not to know what's going on. What's happening to the children of the Congo is criminally exploitive, and the government leaders are getting rich while devastating their own country. GREAD!

I'm almost finished and must admit to having many moments of anger while reading. This slowed me down in the beginning.

Donna, how Kara could be criticisized for not offering up solutions is beyond me. It looks to me that he has exposed problems that even those most altruistic thought, or pretended to think, were solved. These are problems that will require the work of companies, countries, leaders of both, and some moral and legal watch dogs to work out, put in place and enforce.

DRC has never had ethically run workplaces in the areas of its vast natural resources. Their own leaders are among the plunderers, having learned so well from their colonizers. And now China appears to dominate the resource industry there, certainly for Cobalt.

I should finish tomorrow and be back here then. And then read your review too, Donna

This book was a 5-star read for me.

Joy D wrote: "This book was a 5-star read for me."

Me, too

Sorry I never returned before, but this was a 5 star book for me too.

I just read this. I'm sure they would swear they never heard of child labor.

KoBold Metals, the mineral explorer backed by US billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has secured seven new permits to search for lithium and other critical minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).


The licences were granted just weeks after the Berkeley, California-based company signed an exploration pact with the Congolese government, part of a broader push to attract American investment into the country’s mining sector.


Congo is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, the second-largest source of copper, and hosts vast reserves of lithium and tantalum.


Focus on Manono
The newly awarded permits are located in southeastern Congo near the Manono lithium project, which KoBold has ambitions to develop into a major mine. The rights allow the company to prospect for lithium, manganese, tin, and tantalum in the region.

KoBold has notified authorities in Kinshasa that it will first need to resolve a dispute with Australia’s AVZ Minerals Ltd., which has challenged Congo’s termination of its rights to Manono. AVZ has launched arbitration proceedings and is seeking an acceptable settlement or buyout.

KoBold’s shareholders also include BHP Group, Andreesen Horowitz and Equinor ASA.

The company’s push into Congo comes as Washington works to reduce reliance on China for key minerals needed for clean energy and electric vehicles.

KoBold says it plans to deploy its AI-driven exploration technology in Manono, funding digital geological mapping, hiring local staff, and supporting infrastructure improvements in host communities.