DRC’s “solution” to green energy is poisoning its own people.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) markets itself as a global leader in the energy transition. Its slogan, “DRC, a solution country,” highlights its vast reserves of copper and cobalt—minerals essential for electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy storage. But on the ground in the southern province of Lualaba, this promise is broken. There, intensive mining for these same minerals is not powering a clean future; it is destroying the environment and endangering human life. Waste from copper and cobalt extraction seeps into local rivers and soil. This pollution contaminates drinking water and crops, directly harming the health of nearby communities. Residents face daily exposure to toxic heavy metals, leading to severe illness and, in many cases, death. The cost of the green revolution, it appears, is being paid in the bodies of Congolese citizens. For the world to move forward with clean energy, the DRC’s mining regions are moving backward into a public health crisis. The true price of a “solution country” is far higher than the market rate for its minerals.