Cost of Clean Energy: Conflict Minerals

Over the past decade, scientists and policy makers have noted how the climate crisis will exacerbate social, environmental and economic factors which increase the risk of conflict – particularly for the countries and regions most vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis. This episode poses an important question – will the measures we take to tackle the climate crisis drive conflict?

Andrew Whitmore, Co-Chair of the London Mining Network, joins Elizabeth to give context to how a large-scale mining operation can perpetuate violence with high-profile government contracts. Excerpts from an interview with 2001 Goldman Environmental Prize winner Yosepha Alomang of the Amungme people show how detrimental operations can be for Indigenous communities.

For full details of the backing tracks and soundbites used in this episode, please see this reference document.