July 7, 2023
Cited article by Aniruddha Ghosal, AP News
HRRC calls for stronger legal safeguards to protect the environment and human rights in mining operations. Numerous countries are engaging in overseas mining for clean energy resources, but the supply chains are not closely monitored, leading to countless human rights violations.
Article Summary
London-based human rights advocacy group, Business and Human Rights Resource Center reported dozens of labor and environmental abuses in mining operations under the control of Chinese investors. 102 cases were reported by the advocacy group in several countries, including Indonesia (27), Peru (16), Democratic Republic of Congo (12), Myanmar (11), and Zimbabwe (7). Of those reported, the majority were from Indigenous communities.
With the rising temperatures from global warming, countries like China have begun scrambling to obtain “transition minerals” that are needed in clean energy technologies. While similar abuses have been reported for companies based out of Australia, Canada, the UK, and U.S., China lacks laws to regulate the impacts of its businesses overseas and supply chains, and policies on such issues are mostly voluntary. Strong legal safeguards are needed against such abuses which facilitate corrupt practices and threaten the environment and human rights.