‘A tale of rapacious colonialism, Cold War spy games, dazzling technical innovation, big business rivalry, big power geopolitics […] an unflinching, landmark work on the nature of extractive capitalism.’ Patrick Radden Keefe, bestselling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing

‘Joseph Conrad called colonial ventures in Africa “the vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience”. After reading this book you might want to add the words “until now”’ The Times

How we became addicted to a supply chain that wreaks havoc across the globe.

Epic, shocking, and deeply reported, The Elements of Power tells the story of the war for the global supply of battery metals – essential for the decarbonization of our economies – and the terrible, bloody human cost of this badly misunderstood industry.

Congo is rich. Large parts of this war-torn African country lack basic infrastructure, and after many decades of colonial occupation, its people are officially among the poorest in the world. But hidden beneath the soil are vast quantities of cobalt, lithium, copper, tin, tantalum, tungsten, and other treasures. Recently, this veritable periodic table of resources has become extremely valuable because these metals are essential for the global “energy transition”—the plan for wealthy nations to move away from fossil fuels by shifting to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. The race to electrify the world’s economy has begun, and China has a significant head start. From Indonesia to South America to Central Africa, Beijing has invested in mines and infrastructure for decades. But the U.S. has started to fight back with large investments of its own, as well as sanctions and disruptive tariffs.

In this rush for green energy, the world has become completely dependent on resources mined far away and refuses to see the terrible political, environmental, and social consequences of their extraction. If the Democratic Republic of the Congo possesses such riches, why are its children often descending into dangerous mines to dig with the simplest tools, or sometimes with their bare hands? Why are Indonesia’s seas and skies being polluted in the rush for battery metals? Why is Western Sahara, a source of phosphates, still treated like a colony? Who must pay the price for progress?

With unmatched, original reporting, Nicolas Niarchos reveals how the race to control these metals and their production is reshaping the world order, just as the global race to drill for oil shaped the twentieth century. Exploring the development of the lithium-ion battery and tracing its entire supply chain, Niarchos tells the story of both the people driving these monumental changes and those whose lives are being upended. He exposes the true, devastating consequences of our best intentions and helps us prepare for an uncertain future. If you have ever used a smartphone or driven an electric vehicle, you are involved.

Pages: 480, Dimensions: 15.9x15.9cm