Automobile
manufacturers have heralded electric cars as a
greener alternative to traditional gasoline cars
which emit 4.6 metric
tons of carbon dioxide every year on
average. However, a new report from Human Rights
Watch (HRW) and Inclusive Development
International (IDI) found that the picture is not
so rosy. According to the report, transitioning to
electric cars would require manufacturers to
“double their aluminum consumption by
2050.”
This
could have devastating effects: “The impacts of
mining and refining the raw materials needed for
aluminum include large-scale destruction of
communities’ lands and damage to their water
sources. The aluminum industry’s reliance on coal
also means it is responsible for 2 percent of
global annual greenhouse gas emissions.”
The
West African country of Guinea has the world’s
largest bauxite deposits, the ore from which
aluminum is produced. In 2019, the government
conducted a study which forecasted that bauxite
mining over the next 20 years would “remove 858
square kilometers of agricultural land and destroy
more than 4,700 square kilometers of natural
habitat, an area six times bigger than New York
City.” In a primarily agricultural region, this
would be disastrous for residents’
livelihoods.
Elsewhere
in Brazil’s Pará State, a group representing
around 11,000 families sued Norsk Hydro, a
Norwegian aluminum producer, for improper disposal
of toxic waste which has contaminated
waterways.
There
have been some positive developments in the
automobile manufacturing industry, such as
the Aluminum
Stewardship Initiative (ASI), which tries
to ensure responsible sourcing of aluminum and
keep aluminum producers in line with human rights
and environmental standards through third-party
audits.
Additionally,
Drive Sustainability, which brings together 11
different car companies, launched a project in May
to gauge the human rights risks in producing
aluminum and nine other raw materials.
Jim
Wormington, senior HRW Africa researcher, noted the importance of car
companies leading the charge for change. “Pressure
from car manufacturers that purchase aluminum can
play a key role in pushing mining companies to
constructively resolve communities’ complaints,”
he said.
“Once
car companies and other industries communicate
clearly to aluminum producers that they will only
buy aluminum that is free of human rights abuses,
we think mining companies and the aluminum sector
more broadly will quickly up their game.”
Read
HRW and IDI’s full report HERE
Watch
a 2 minute video from HRW about the impact of
aluminum production on human rights HERE
Authored
by Paulina
Song
