The global 'just energy transition' has increased demand for critical minerals – such as cobalt and copper – for products like lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and other renewable energy sources.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which produces nearly 70% of the global supply of cobalt, has a poorly regulated mining sector that's fueled by demand for these natural resources and which has forced Indigenous communities off their land and otherwise done little to lift millions of Congolese citizens out of poverty. The DRC has now opened up land for oil and gas exploration, too, and experts are skeptical that oil will do much to improve people's lives, either.

Christian-Geraud Neema Byamungu, Francophone editor at the China Global South Project, and Joseph Itongwa Mukumo, an Indigenous community member of Walikale in the North Kivu province, and director of ANAPA-DRC, speak with Mongabay about what DRC residents need for a just energy transition, and the impacts mining has had on lives and the environment.

If you missed the first three episodes of this podcast series, please subscribe to Mongabay Explores wherever you get your podcasts from, or click on the links below: 

Mongabay Explores the Congo Basin: The ‘heart of the world’ is at a turning point

Congo Basin communities left out by ‘fortress conservation’ fight for a way back in

Big potential and immense challenges for great ape conservation in the Congo Basin, experts say

Find the first three seasons of Mongabay Explores – where we explored Sumatra, New Guinea, and more – via the podcast provider of your choice, or locate all episodes of the Mongabay Explores podcast on our podcast homepage here. 

Episode Artwork: Cobalt, copper and malachite from a copper mine in the DRC. Image by Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) 

Sounds heard during the intro and outro: The call of a putty-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans). This soundscape was recorded in Ivindo National Park in Gabon by Zuzana Burivalova, Walter Mbamy, Tatiana Satchivi, and Serge Ekazama.

Please invite your friends to subscribe to Mongabay Explores wherever they get podcasts. If you enjoy our podcast content, please visit www.patreon.com/mongabay to pledge a dollar or more to keep the show growing, Mongabay is a nonprofit media outlet and all support helps!