The Human Cost of Going Green | Bloomberg Investigates

Aluminum used in the new all-electric model of America’s best-selling pickup truck, the Ford F-150, can be traced from Ford Motor Co.’s historic Rouge assembly complex in Dearborn, Michigan, back to a parts manufacturer in Pennsylvania, a smelter in Canada, and ultimately the rainforests of Brazil.
There, in the heart of the Amazon, rust-colored bauxite is being clawed from a mine whose owners have long faced allegations of pollution and land appropriation. And, near where the Amazon River empties into the Atlantic, a refinery that processes the ore stands accused of sickening thousands of people.
In this episode of Bloomberg Investigates, we visit the communities directly affected and meet the people who are fighting back against the companies they hold responsible.
Read the investigation: www.bloomberg.com/graphics/20...
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[@rafa28erj]

As a Brazilian, thank you for putting together this investigation and raising awareness to our country. Third world countries can't pay the price forever, it's not sustainable, neither for the people nor for the planet.

[@jdelacruz6854]

This is an industry problem in general. You are using the word green here for clickbait. Aluminum has been used for centuries now. It’s not a “green” material.

[@timkaleb846]

Aluminum is the gold standard of green, due to its ability to be reused when its recycled. But the production of it from raw materials isn’t environmentally friendly. You’re right it has been around for centuries but it was made in limited places which made the contaminations in smaller sectors, but now we produce things on a massive scale which allow the contaminants to overflow and effect larger regions. Not everyone has basic standards like first world countries.

[@DiegoMarquesBrazil]

Great work!! Unbeliavable Norway can keep up with that for longer, I'm sure if Norwegians hear about it, they won't let it happen! As a Brazilian, I know how disappointing and slow is our Judicial system

[@GjaP_242]

According to a recent study led by José Maria Cardoso da Silva, a professor and biogeographer at the University of Miami College of Arts & Sciences, the Brazilian government, as well as conservation entities and governments around the world, must allocate at least $1.7 to $2.8 billion a year to keep the rainforest thriving. The study also suggests that Brazil must expand its current preservation areas to approximately 865 million acres-about 80 percent of the rainforest. Currently, 51 percent of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest is considered protected land. 1:23 [University of Miami]

[@jimysk8er]

This has nothing to do with ''going green'' and everything to do with greenwashing and accountability. don't blame the demand for green solutions, blame the lack of scrutiny for companies to do the right thing. and you should immediately be skeptical of any company that states that their supply chain is sustainable, almost nothing is sustainable.

[@smokeymacpot76]

exactly right

[@gutoseixas]

Great doc! I am astonished at how the Norwegian government can pose as the global champion of sustainability and be the major share holder on a toxic wasteland in the heart of the Amazon. I am also curious as why so few people have watched this piece. What shenanigans are you pulling, Google?

[@uksquall]

It is a consumption problem, nothing but unfettered consumption without consideration of where it comes from or goes.

[@Evemeister12]

If you want to go green, don't drive a car at all. Think of how many materials have to be extracted and worked on for the manufacturing process. Better access to public transit and cycling, walking on public streets is the way forward.

[@MsJenniferjulia]

First of all: People with money drive (new) cars. And the majority couldn't care less about how others suffer. See the cycle we're in? Governments and capitalism will always prefer money over people. Especially when it concerns poor people and even more when it concerns poor people outside their borders! For many not having a car means no money to raise an income, commute (also expensive!) many hours to go to your job or move to crowded ans polluted areas (cities). Work, eat, sleep, repeat...keeps the world from thinking and grow concience. How convenient. Since cars seem to be a symbol of status, we want them more, bigger, newer and ...without any need.

[@dieseltechie]

I was expecting something about processing lithium or cobalt not aluminum. Bauxite is just behind iron ore/steel produced only outranked by cement then by a wide margin sand & gravel. It's definitely not something new for vehicles to use aluminum for light weight structure to be more efficient. Honestly I don't consider an electric pickup truck "going green" as much as "looking green" If you really want to reduce the impact of people you're going to have to reduce energy consumption per capita to 1960’s levels. More effective reducing solutions like public transportation that actually takes people where they need to go when they need it instead of building everything into giant highways, roads and parking lots. To not buy everything from a supermarket using monoculture farming from hundreds or thousands of miles away. To not build anything that can't be composted but is designed to be used once & thrown away.

[@Buildings1772]

This is rediculious. As though aluninium mining wasnt going on well before our transition away from fossil fuels. Why is this falsly linked to the transition away from fosil fuels but there is no talk of the impacts of coal mining or oil extraction or fracking ect.

[@markh7288]

We have a responsibility to ensure that these activities are done in a more responsible manner. The worst thing that will happen for green industries will be for them to be seen as destructive!

[@Buildings1772]

What does aluminium mining have todo with going green? Didn't we make planes out of aluminium long before the the shift away from CO2 emitting power sources started?

[@hugsun5918]

@@Buildings1772 It's a bit of a stretch but EVs require more aluminium (as stated in the video) than traditional vehicles. I think EVs are a farce. The only real way to reduce environmental impact is a significant reduction in the usage of and demand for cars.

[@JadeMythriil]

@@hugsun5918 This ☝️ Mining resources for EVs isn't clean and you're just trading one pollution type (air emissions) for another (land and water contamination).

[@w00dyalien]

Alarming... and that irony keeps repeating, it's not unique, it's already the "system"... Frustrating...

[@SuperLeodk]

Congratulations on your reporting. I hope it will trigger some change.

[@christinakrachtoudi5098]

Why is this not viral??

[@elizabethhagman1984]

Great program. Thanks. I feel pity for the people. It is skandal. The government should pay a new houses for the poor people. The rich company count money as usual. Terrible

[@djayjp]

This has nothing to do with "going green"....

[@Reinturtle]

ah but on average electric cars use 10% more aluminium... (and probably not even really because they are electric, but because they are newer) You're right I have no clue how they came up with that connection haha

[@ecoideazventures6417]

Yes, mining is a dirty business and green business uses more of some metals. But it is clearly a biased view to say going green caused all this pollution!

[@gleitsonSalles]

@@Reinturtle They use more aliminium, more cobalt, more lithium and many other rare earths. What is your point? and 10% more aluminium is a HUGE increase in an world that produces 80 million new vehicles per year.

[@Reinturtle]

@@gleitsonSalles well yes, but they didn't talk about lithium and cobalt in this video. moreover the aluminium industry is surely a lot bigger than just for automotive

[@jimysk8er]

@@gleitsonSalles you have no idea how big and horrible the steel industry is..... concrete too

[@Cr0uch1ng71g3r]

Clicked to see what's green, found out it's a car, laughed at the joke and left.. a comment also

[@GjaP_242]

Occupying almost 40 percent of South America and encompassing the territory of nine countries, the magnitude of such natural haven extends over 1.4 billion acres of land, of which around 60 percent are located in Brazil. 12:34 [Statista]

[@hugsun5918]

what are these random out of context citations of yours?

[@kristensorensen2219]

What a load of unfounded accusations.

[@bapak321bapak]

Amazon 💀

[@GjaP_242]

The World's GDP is $95 trillion as of 2022 10:30

[@bapak321bapak]

@@GjaP_242 💀

[@GjaP_242]

At 46.6% forest cover, Brazil is the most forested and most biodiverse country in the world. Two-thirds of the Amazon Rainforest lies within Brazilian territory, which has one of the highest rates of biodiversity on Earth, including 10-20% of all known species. It is known to house 13% of all animal species and 20.8% of all plant species, many of which are endemic to Brazil. The Amazon is one of Earth's last refuges for jaguars, harpy eagles, and pink river dolphins, and it is home to sloths, black spider monkeys, and poison dart frogs. It contains one in 10 known species on Earth, 40,000 plant species, 3,000 freshwater fish species, and more than 370 types of reptiles. The Jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat in the Americas and the world's third largest feline. 10:55 [Rainforest Foundation US; World Wildlife Fund]

[@bapak321bapak]

@@GjaP_242 💀💀

[@billyflores3360]

The people of this town could’ve lived off the land comfortably, but their greed lead them to see only dollar bills….thats when you know brother wanted the land so bad they laid lie after lie to destroy the land

[@MusicaX79]

So the the solution is to find a use for the byproduct?

[@arxsyn]

Yes l do understand the "green choices" we make have an effect. Like mining lithium. There's a cost to everything. I'm sad though we are still hurting mother Earth. Surely we can do better than this

[@blank.9301]

Ecosia

[@samhianblackmoon]

🔥👍🏽

[@martinmeier9639]

Can't see any Ford F-150 buyer giving a f#%k

[@design.dmitri]

The first world demands more, bigger, cheaper. And there are more and more joining. Their overconsumption will never become suddenly sustainable through substitutes. I see no change in the exploitation chain. It’s either gonna continue as is, or it all collapses.

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

HANZ, release the nanite swarm killers,

[@smokeymacpot76]

dont worry..i fully know that those green ideas come with a impact to the poorest and most under-developed nations causing starvation and hardship among them

[@JuanPablodelaTorre]

What about all this is about "going green"? This sounds like the exact opposite.

[@GjaP_242]

A new study shows that conserving 350 million hectares (865 million acres) of the Brazilian Amazon - 83% of the biome - would cost between $1.7 billion and $2.8 billion a year. To convert around 80% of the Brazilian Amazon into environmental conservation areas would cost Brazil just over half of what the European Union spends to maintain all of its own conservation areas. Hectare for hectare, it would work out hundreds of times cheaper. 3:21 [Mongabay]

[@hugsun5918]

The implication is that this mining operation is supplying materials to things like the F150 lightning which is advertised as a greener alternative.

[@mikerock8177]

We should go back to glass bottles for everything

[@solarlight10]

:)

[@mack-uv6gn]

Trading one dirty energy source for another 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@samsonsoturian6013]

There really is no pleasing ecoterrorists, is there?

[@BOZ_11]

You cannot improve your plight working for Anglo America or any distant foreigner. Nations need strong links with their neighbours.

[@ransilusamadhith5901]

Propaganda by oil & gas mafia

[@GregoXWK4225]

Why can China and Australia benefit from the pollution of mining and the people who live in the Amazon cannot ? If the world wants to keep the forest intact, the other countries will have to pay the full price, and it is not cheap.

[@Parker307]

So because other countries destroyed their environment, caused the extinction of species and poisoned their people you want to follow that example and do the same in your country? Since China killed off all their river dolphins then you would like to do that too. Since Australia has worked to burn all the coal and change the climate to much of their land is uninhabitable you would like to make your land uninhabitable too.

[@somerandomfella]

We can only change this mess we're in by not updating cars every 2 years, not buying fast fashion, fast furniture and reducing meat & seafood consumption.

[@Gabriel-uc5cq]

Queremos resposta ao nosso grito de socorro, estamos morrendo aos olhos do mundo todo agora.

[@luc_libv_verhaegen]

Clickbait junk. This is about aluminium, and aluminium is an important metal that has high demand with or without a green economy. Schame on you bloomberg.

[@LapinskasDarius]

What the problem? Why Brazil does not take care about their Amazon? Do everybody in the world have to worry about Amazon that do not belong to them?

[@JuanPablodelaTorre]

Considering it captures a great amount of the CO2 we produce. I would say we all should care about it.

[@LapinskasDarius]

@@JuanPablodelaTorre so don't use cars and ride the horse. dont use anything that is "green" or not "green" at all.

[@lil----lil]

Lulu...what are you doing? Kissing up to Winnie? A waste of my vote!

[@dougaldouglas8842]

We have gone green a long time ago. People are so green that they do not know what is really going on.

[@robertshelton3796]

Not gonna lie, poisoning Hispanics doesn't bother me much

[@ergerg2]

You're in common company, and that's the problem. It doesn't seem to bother anyone much.

[@anastasiaogloff8715]

This documentary is full of hyperbole and extreme language - a big red flag that it's unscientific, biased, and therefore unreliable. Certainly, mining in 2nd and 3rd world countries is done at lower environmental standards than mines in 1st world countries. This documentary therefore makes a strong case to conduct mining in places like Canada, USA, or Norway itself instead of taking advantage of countries with low environmental standards. The birth defects aren't typical of alumina, lead, or mercury poisoning... instead sound more like a bad batch of immunization shots.