Elon Musk to protect 'Avatar tribe' from being wiped out by electric car battery mining
- by Daily Express
- May 29, 2024
- 0 Comments
- 0 Likes Flag 0 Of 5
Hairani said she was forced from the forest by 'evil' miners who destroyed her home
(Image: Survival International )
Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited Indonesia earlier this month and in his company's recently published impact report it says 13 percent of the nickel the firm needs to make car batteries comes from the mineral-rich country.
But that same report has now made the need to explore the "establishment of a no-go zone for mining to protect indigenous and human rights, particularly those of uncontacted communities".
Human rights organisation Survival International believes this is the first time one of the big vehicle manufacturers has recognised the plight of uncontacted people caught in the path of the mining industry linked to electric cars.
The nickel mines on Halmahera are not directly sourced by Tesla, but the company warned suppliers they should only operate where indigenous people have the right to "grant or withhold free, prior and informed consent".
Callum Russell, Asia Research and Advocacy Officer at Survival International, said this could be ground-breaking for the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa because under the UN and the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) it is impossible to obtain consent from uncontacted peoples.
He said:"Uncontacted tribes are recognised as the most vulnerable people in the world, they have no immunity to outside diseases and contact with outsiders frequently results in two thirds of the tribe's population being destroyed.
"The Hongana Manyawa are a symbol really, do we want to let these people die? and the forest they have with them? so that we can feel good about driving electric cars here.
"It's really encouraging that Tesla has taken this stand, we are calling on all electric companies to state that they will not take nickel from Halmahera from the territory of the Hongana Manyawa."
Mr Russell added the Hongana Manyawa's experience with the outside world has parallels with the plot of the Avatar films because of their connection to the forest.
He added: "What they do is they plant the umbilical cord along with seeds for a tree so that they grow with the tree. For a nomadic people this also allows them to know where a child was born and it serves as a marker for their age because the tree grows at the same time as the child.
"Cutting down these trees is the equivalent to murder for them, and I spoke to one Hongana Manyawa man last year and he said he went back to his birth tree and it and the whole forest had been cut down. He was heartbroken.
"They have been compared to the Na'vi and in the film Avatar the mining was happening for a renewable energy source, there are a lot of similarities."
Don't miss...
Please first to comment
Related Post
Stay Connected
Tweets by elonmuskTo get the latest tweets please make sure you are logged in on X on this browser.
Sponsored
Popular Post
Tesla: Buy This Dip, Energy Growth And Margin Recovery Are Vastly Underappreciated
28 ViewsJul 29 ,2024