Wake Up Call: The true costs of consuming technology

Minerals of all different kinds (there could be more than 10 varieties in one Smartphone alone) are mined in different countries - from tantalum in the Congo to tin in the Philippines -, then shipped or trucked around the planet to manufacturing hotspots. It is estimated that mining activities will triple worldwide by 2050, spreading into more forests and coastal areas, indigenous territories, nature parks and protected sites. These land grabs happen largely without the consent of local communities, as governments and corporations collude to bypass the rights of the people. Further, the ever-increasing amounts of “E-waste” (electronic waste) is mostly shipped to countries in Africa and Asia, rather than handled at source. On these dumpsites, communities are forced to live in a toxic landscape, making out a living by burning electronics to reach the metals they can sell on as scrap. See a video and information website by the GAIA Foundation at:http://www.gaiafoundation.org/wakeupcall/