Storyline
In the cobalt mining areas of Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), babies are being born with horrific birth defects. Scientists and doctors are finding increasing evidence of environmental pollution from industrial mining which, they believe, may be the cause of a range of malformations from cleft palate to some so serious the baby is stillborn. More than 60% of the world’s reserves of cobalt are in the DRC and this mineral is essential for the production of electric car batteries, which may be the key to reducing carbon emissions and to slowing climate change. In The Cost of Cobalt we meet the doctors treating the children affected and the scientists who are measuring the pollution. Cobalt may be part of the global solution to climate change, but is it right that Congo’s next generation pay the price with their health? Many are hoping that the more the world understands their plight, the more pressure will be put on the industry here to clean up its act.
Cast & Crew
FL
Fiona Lloyd-Davies
Herself
LeadRF
Robert Flummerfelt
Himself
SM
Sébastien Mbuyi Musanzayi
Himself
NN
Nadine Ngulala Mbuyamba
Herself
CB
Célestin Banza Lubaba Nkulu
Himself
MN
Mireille Neema
Herself
TK
Tony Kayembe-Kitenge
Himself
MK
Mwazo Koya
Himself
What People Are Saying
0.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Fiona Lloyd-Davies's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Cost of Cobalt is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
