SUSTAINABILITY AND TECHNOLOGY
Tantalum
Tantalum is an element found in coltan and used in many electronics including smart phones and other wireless devices. The use of tantalum in so many products is controversial because some of the coltan it is extracted from is mined unethically in terms of human and environmental consequences.
Below is a collection of resources related to tantalum extraction and use in electronics including:
Below is a collection of resources related to tantalum extraction and use in electronics including:
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NGO's Working to Raise Awareness
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Progress Towards More Sustainable Technology
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Videos Which Raise Awareness
Smartphones: From Popular Product to Ethical Dilemma
This video draws connections between ethical dilemma's with regards to consumption of coffee, clothing, and electronics. It emphasizes the importance of fair trade and challenges viewers to consider whether to boycott, demand change from electronics companies, or rely on market approaches to solve this issue. Environmental and Human Costs of Technology
This video, recorded at TedxExeter, shows a speech made by Bandi Mbubi who grew up in the DRC and argues that tantalum mining is fueling ongoing conflict in the country. He calls on viewers to work towards fair trade electronics without forgetting to appreciate the benefits that cell phones and electronics have provided people in developed and developing countries. Blood Coltan (2008)
This documentary provides an in depth look into global movements of coltan. It follows coltan through extraction, production, and distribution and exposes the network of interests involved in trading coltan which has been sourced from illegal mines in the DRC. |
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Combating Illegal Coltan Mining
This video, made by German International broadcaster Dutch Welle English, provides a quick look into some of the consequences of coltan mining, describes efforts to fingerprint coltan mines, and encourages a deeper look into the nuances of this issue and its connection to broader problems in the DRC. The Story of Stuff
This has been used in schools throughout North America and has now been translated into many different languages so EAL students in your classroom will have the opportunity to watch it with subtitles in their own language. It traces the 'stuff' we buy from extraction to production, distribution, consumption and finally disposal and highlights the environmental and social costs incurred at each of these stages. The Story of Electronics
This video is an offshoot of the above "The Story of Stuff". It explains the environmental and social damage which has been caused by the production and disposal of high tech electronics in plain language which is easy for students to follow and understand. |
Other Resources
The table below shows estimates of global mined tantalum.
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Coltan Mining and Eastern Congo's Gorillas
Recorded in 2001, this NPR Podcast describes how, rather than from the efforts of conservation groups, the gorillas in Eastern Congo were protected from habitat destruction and other negative effects of coltan mining as a result of a drop in demand for coltan thanks to the global economy falling in the late '90s. The importance of bringing an end to the civil war in the DRC is emphasized as one of the most important ways to prevent continued environmental and humanitarian crises in the DRC. |
Last Updated: 2015/01