experience outstanding shopping and dining offers. enjoy our services all. be our guest at frankfurt. airport city, managed by frank bought. ah ah ah, this is d w. news line from berlin. cobra cases hit new records across europe. france reports one of the world's highest, one day tallies since the started the pandemic vis as countries from europe to his brilliant face of a sudden surge of the underground. very, also coming up,

russia supreme court shuts down the country's leading human rights for the n g o. memorial dedicates itself to documenting the atrocities of russia stolen is past. what will that your was crimes now be forgotten. an artist, an activist saline will hold these kinds of photo shine a light on black and clear culture in south africa and exhibition berlin features their groundbreaking work. ah, i'm here, tilton. walk them to the show. france has announced a record number of new corona virus infection. authorities counted just under 180000 new cases in 24 hours. it's the highest the country has seen and is one of the highest portals of any nation seen during the pandemic. the government has already announced new measures aimed at slowing down the spread. those include limiting the size of gatherings of people and the mandatory wearing of masks

outdoors. the united kingdom, greece and portugal have also seen record case numbers caused by the omni cron variant. so to s as trillion a country that so far managed to avoid the worst of the pandemic on wednesday is really reported a record $16500.00 new infections over 24 hour period. most of those in the state of new south wales health officials, they are, are warning the sudden outbreak is overwhelming testing facilities. for more of this, let's bring in roger maynard and sidney. so roger, australia hasn't seen figures anywhere near this high before. what's feeling the rise? well, this latest crisis is the result of a perfect storm of factors which have sent the caseload here in new south was a song to certainly a record high. the total number of cases reported today was 11200 and the state. and i was almost double yesterday's figure. much the blame is being leveled at

state governments that have hazard approach to dealing with and a lot of mixed messaging that's led to enormous cues here to drive through. testing stations in sidney cars are being banged up to kilometers. and people have to wait for hours to be seen afterwards. many of had to wait for 3 or 4 days for the results to come with the danger of the virus spreading. florida. in the meantime, 100 now of the problem has been caused by the christmas holiday period and p. c. r testing stations, and labs being understaffed. the other factor was being the demand from holiday makers who back to obtain a, a p. c on test for permission to enter queensland which as only adding to the pressure on testing facilities. aaron. all right, so parts of australia have been reopening cautiously after strict restrictions on travel. how is this latest development going to affect that? well, this of course is the peak summer season in australia with thousands of families on

holiday traveling and can being run around the country apart from western australia, which is unlikely to reopen its borders until the middle of february, march, the country is more or less accessible there are a few restrictions on big sporting events taking place. and here in sydney, the news news fireworks display, which normally attracts up to a 1000000 people who still go ahead as planned said life appears to be getting back to normal. but that's clearly a long way to go. all right, with cases on the rise and kinds of things, the question is the health care system prepared to deal with a new surgeon patients? well, it's only about to say, the good news is that hospitalizations are not too high at the moment. partly because of the weaker impact to the owner. con variant and deaths of those have been fairly few and far between case numbers aren't quite so bad in other parts of australia. victoria had nearly 3800 cases today. south australia, 1471. and queensland some 1500. but there's no doubt of the situation is

deteriorating. that's not help by perceived lack of urgency by the authorities to meet the challenge. according to the new south wales health minister, every australian will get the virus sooner or later. and we'll just have to live with it at this stage. it looks like a blunt but sadly, accurate forecast. ok. all right, that was roger maynard reporting for us in sydney. thank you for joining us. and here in germany, the government has responded with new corona, virus restrictions of its own would come into force on tuesday. with new years eve approaching, the government is placing tighter limits on public and private celebrations. it's also virginia and vaccinated to get the job before the new restrictions took effect . people protested in cities across germany. ah, hundreds of people, the men to pass tensions ran high on the streets of tito in the eastern state of

saxony on monday night. just one of many protests organized the cross country against the government corona, by restrictions and covey. 19 vaccines. it was a tense, but a peaceful protest. in the nearby town of foutz and police were attacked with fireworks and butters. i say attempted to break up an unauthorized protest. authorities reported at least 10 officers injured in the capital berlin. there is a little understanding of the violin that has erupted, and for those who still refused to get vaccinated, but you'll get the every mandatory vaccine when we go on holiday without questioning it. so what's happening now is ridiculous from amazon shutting. it's not necessary to take it as tweets and attack police offices to use violence. you should do it peacefully with other rate, all in the same boat. so why do some have to kick up a fuss? come from it. i think i don't know if it's the right way,

but people probably don't know who else to express themselves or almost a year to day after the vaccination campaign started berlin, mayor of francisco agi fi visited a covey 19 intensive care unit. she repeated the government's plea to the quarter of the population steal and vaccinated in germany. lessons is this infant gate harness unaided, as i can only say it again and again. the people lying here in this hospital rush, many of them are probably thinking if only i had done it, is perhaps, then it would have prevented this from happening. i. oh gosh, probably there are opponents to the vaccine and measures. but over half of the population support measures now in place. but officials are bracing themselves for a new wave of infections with the more transmissible army chron variance, which could overwhelm germany's critical health care infrastructure. let's turn out to some other stories making headlines around the world. hong kong police have

arrested 6 people linked to an independent news outlet on charges of sedition. twitter police officers also rated the offices of stant news and search the homes of journals arrested. stand news is laura largest remaining news outlets seen as close to hong kong pro democracy movement in the syrian port of le takia. a firefighters contained ablaze hours after missiles attacked the facility from the mediterranean syrians. date medias of the attack was carried out by israel. but didn't give details on the damages caused by the strike is really military has not commented on the attack. american football great. john madden has died. he was $85.00 madman was a hall of fame coach at the nfl oakland raiders. before beginning the long careers of sports broadcaster later his name was best known, attached to the hugely popular video game magnum nfl. italy's allowing a ship carrying almost $560.00 migrants to dock in sicily. the vessel owned by the

age of doctors without borders has been waiting for a week for permission to head for port. the german ships he watched 3 is also waiting for a safe harbor. it's carrying $440.00 rescued migrants. see, watch 3 picked up the migrants from a number of shipwrecked vessels in international waters off the coast of libya. some have already been evacuated for medical reasons. the crew says help is still needed. we have very vulnerable people on board small children who clearly need different medical care. over in recent days, hundreds of people have set out in boats to reach europe via g and c. dozens are dead or missing after a number of shipwrecks, 16 people including a baby drowned off the island of paris. survivors report starting out from turkey in an attempt to reach italy. they say they wanted to avoid greek territory because of fears. greek border guards would force them back the direct result of all. busy

the, the sharp increasing the border violence applied long across the greek border. so migrants are taking a chance on a longer and more dangerous route. it to the hundreds have arrived on the italian mainland since christmas. and the now in quarantine. morning the little song for many of them have had medical treatment because they, with the hydrated and hadn't eaten full 6 or 7 days are good the say set the jordan on the cru see was 3, is also hoping the permission to head to an attack in port will come soon in the latest below to russian civil society, the supreme court there has ordered the closing of memorial, the countries most respected human rights group. it defends the rights of political prisoners in russia and helps victims of so it error repression. the court agreed with the prosecutions arguments that the organization violated

a law on so called foreign agents. russia's oldest and most important human rights organization now disbanded, supporters defied a protest band to gather in front of memorials headquarters. they said the decision was politically motivated. was the idea of critics of being eliminated. so is the opposition. any one who wants to lift the mask off russia and look critically at its history that is being eliminated obese? now, your distorted memorial was classified as if foreign agent. that meant the organization had to comply with various requirements. the court founded in violation of those rules. the n g o is now banned and must stop its work in russia. for many memorial represents the historical conscience of the country. it aims to make sure that the reign of terror in the soviet union under joseph stalin and the

inhumanity of the gulag prison camp system are not forgotten. when earlier this month, russian president vladimir putin accused memorial of rehabilitating the reputations of nazi collaborators in world war 2 was a moment of issues with the organization denied all allegations and wants to appeal . it's representatives say they may take the case to the european court of human rights. south african photographers, donnelly, ma holly is known for portraying sexual freedom and black queer culture. and the museum here in berlin has dedicated an exhibition to the artists and activists. it's an insight into south africa's l g b t q, community and reflection on apartheid proud, powerful, sometimes vulnerable, or even royal. these are some of the faces of xin alamo, wholly whose work also confronts trauma. for almost 20 years,

molly's been documenting south africa's l g b t q. community of discrimination against sexual minorities has been illegal in south africa since 1996. but in day to day life, gays lesbians and transgender people here are still at risk, as well as non binary people. like molly i think you live with that threat every day, but i cannot stop doing what i'm doing because it made sense to me. and it forms part of the south african history post that but date. molly's exhibition and berlin shows survivors of anti queer hate crimes, including so called corrective rape. but there are also images of love and care. molly's photos are a collaboration built on trust between the artist and the subjects who gaze out at the viewer with confidence and dignity for the series, faces and phases. behold,

followed subjects over several years. in that we put algo thea is a continuing journey in life of building visual history with the community. and so they also in whites, their friends and associates to look fearless, to be bold, to be desiring to be unafraid of the camera confident and empowered. janelle, him holies haunting images, celebrate queer beauty and dignity, making them visible to the world. the u. s. state of virginia has opened a 130 year old time capsule found in the base of the statue of the son of a civil war. general conservatives opened the copper box on live tv, expecting to find it swamped with water. instead, they found a collection of books, cash, ammunition,

and documents. in surprisingly good condition. the box was in the pedestal of a statue of confederate general robert elite. that statue was removed in september after becoming the focus of protest against racial injustice. and you're watching the w t v. i married children in berlin. remember there's more news at the top of the hour until then take care and i'll see you soon. i will go to the dark side where intelligence agencies are pulling the strings. there was a before 911 and an after 911. he says, after 911, the clubs came off where organized crime rules

were conglomerates make their own laws was through us. vague, it doesn't matter, the only criteria is worked will who we should light on the opaque world who's behind benefits and why are they a threat to whistle? oh, peak worlds. starts january, 5th on d, w. ah, ah, stock markets are in up beat mode as the year draws to a close while investors are monitoring the on the kron corona virus variant. there is a sense the impact might not be as serious as one severed. we'll get the view from wall street. germans are looking elsewhere for their new year. pyrotechnics as

authorities again banned the sale of fireworks. some are even heading to denmark as supply chain woes man to spain is urging more women to keep on truckin on public lillius. and here's your business update. us stock market, open stronger on choose day on optimism that the i'm a chron. corona virus variant will not d rail. the global economic recovery stocks came off a bit, as traders closed their positions for 2021. and there are lingering concerns about on a cron driven traveler disruptions and store closures. but markets are surfing a holiday week, wave boosted by softer rules on corona, virus infections that should offer help for staff challenged businesses. well, james sweeney has more from the new york stock exchange. hi james. good to see. stocks are edging higher as we approach the end of the year to the markets. feel

that i'm a crown is less of a threat than previously thought. well, i can't really speak on behalf of all of the markets, but evidence would suggest that to be the case is a problem. less of a threat to the markets. yes, it has been here or the u. s. at least we went from being told to be inferior, but deadly 3rd, very into. well, it's more can they just what contagious to delta, but not as deadly to the cdc here, recommending tend to current teens for break 2 cases. so now, recommending 5, just yesterday we've had hundreds of celebrities, athletes, traitors who and wall street. they've gotten it, they're back on camera, they're back playing, sports bells is across the world. have it right here in new york city, there's thousands lighting up. they're just being safe, they're being cautious and trying to prevent the sped. but is alma chromos of a threat? for the most part here in the united states, it is now you do have companies like apple here in new york city that announced that it won't let any shoppers physically inside the store regardless of back the nation status. but then you have a study like today from south africa that said that the only crime infection

appears to protect against the delta barion and could displace it. and that's not for my words that's from the africa health research institute. so with all of these mixed messages and all of these mixed headlines, yes, omar crime fears here in the us are less of a threat than previous lot thought and are pushing the markets higher. and also all you have to do is look at the holiday numbers from yesterday and realize people are still out the shopping. all right, well james, you're basically just said that it's not looking as seriously as previously thought . so this is of the playing huge factor in the situation there. yes, it definitely is. that's definitely playing a huge factor. the santa close rally was in full effect starting yesterday of 300.350 points. the markets are up to day. and again, restrictions, they happened to be all over the place here, the u. s. and it's led to a lot of confusion, and that's been since day one. and regarding the confusion with kobe rules, the markets are taking that in. and they're trying their best to consider like how can you take this threat seriously, if they don't even know what the threat actually is that they don't know what the rules actually are to prevent this threat. and that's the real. that's the real

concern here. we have companies, again like apple that are not living inside the store, but then you have airliners that are saying gillis, 5 days reprieve, right. attendance seems like there's a lot going on. james sweeney in new york. thank you for that. well like much of the world, europe is seeing a shortage of truck drivers. it's causing quite the pinch in supply chains across the continent. in spain, the government is looking at ways to recruit more people into the profession, especially from traditionally under represented groups. this is far from begonia, are manette is 1st time getting behind the wheel. the mother and grandmother has been a truck driver for the last 26 years. i guess it's true that we hear the phrase, you don't look like a trucker a lot. it happens to many of us and why don't i look like a trucker?

what must i look like? it's just that you're so tiny, so skinny. i don't need to be tall and fat. there still a stereotype of the truck or woman's physique. i don't know why we all have to be very butch, very manly. we buddy much know what we'll do. a recent estimate shows. europe is missing. 400000 drivers needed to deliver goods. spain, meanwhile, is missing tens of thousands of drivers alone. guy with a miracle, there are fewer and fewer truck drivers and this is just the tip of the iceberg. there are 10015000 or 20000 truck drivers missing in spain. that's nothing. now, in 10 or 12 years there will be more missing because if the average age of a truck driver in spain today is 50 or 52 years in 10 years, there will be none because there is no generational replacement. they are not making it easier for new people to enter the workforce. many people are invested in getting out ahead of this problem and making the often lonely and difficult job more attractive. a driver's union recently won

a battle with the government and drivers will no longer be required to load or unload their trucks. the government is also looking at ways to attract not only more women, but more young people. both groups are under represented in the industry, but as more drivers retire every year, this fast moving problem has no speed bumps in sight. or the pandemic has brought tough times for the global fashion industry. consumers confined to their home spend less money on clothes, on, shuttered shops couldn't sell them anyway. fashion designers have also been struggling with lucrative showcases often being canceled. we met one such designer in india. videos from 2019, bring back fond memories for a fashion designer who mika cheda. she was at the top of her game back then with models at india fashion. we can mom by before the pandemic business was booming. people who will not be for me. i know

that i believe that it is not that invention, not the baby. ah, but they want to, but it just that the dime that difficult slide from my heart again, unity, i believe for them that if their businesses are good, if they do good. ah, if they come out of the situation quicker and foster, i think even i'll be in a better position. and then my money can be to leave. the pandemic drove the tourists away to on the street in bombay fashion stores of clothes down in droves. boomy kancheta also had to close her store. everybody, one after the other has closed down the business. oh yeah. and this it ordered was one of i shouldn't have had begun when he does a bit, but giving up is not her style. she could no longer afford her old design and sewing workshop, so she moved her business to a much smaller location. less than 10 of her 45 showing machines remain in

operation. and she was only able to keep a handful of employees. you jessie and jessica. this is, i will i me come got the will, the impact on work has been too much. earlier we had a very big staff. we had 110 or 111 people working that way, but i be would see somebody now. that's not the situation right now. we only of 8 to 10 people working here as we don't have as much work as before. no, it's like having no work at all relative like ami made us of leg work. come cut the me, which will graduate fabrics and patterns fill the store rooms. before the pandemic, the workshop was a roomy, 400 square meters. now the boss can barely find a seat through all my vibrant line is concerned. oh no, i'm not going to shut it. okay. so slowly,

gradually. oh, earlier than i used to make for myself, my own brand, and i used to explore the noise. that transition has been to sustain instead of i. i'm making other, but i'm sort of him now producing for them. i design and make sample for the brand on which they give the order. these days boomy, conchita only gets to designed late at night. in one of her shops which she's converted into a grocery store, another step in her crisis management plan. usually new year's eve here in germany is a noisy and colorful affair because of all the fireworks going off. but this year, german authorities have again decided to bind the sale of fireworks. so germans are crossing the border into neighboring denmark to buy rockets and buyers or use even berlin typically goes off with

a bang. but the 201920 to curve. it was different. in a suburban street, in the midst of crowds of revelers, a huge explosion from a home made bomb. hundreds of thousands of euros of damage. scores of people injured for berlin's authorities. it was the cracker that broke the camel's back. then, with the onset of the pandemic, authorities feared the usual stream of wounded would overwhelm hospitals, already groaning under the load of covered cases. and national ban was put in place . but germans just want to have fun via plus and get as event despite everything we want to celebrate the new year. last year it couldn't happen. therefore, we are happy that it's possible this year in germany, we are not allowed to buy fire crackers, but we are allowed to set them off. fuck them up, then decide. so many germans are making a pilgrimage across the border into denmark to buy their fireworks. ha humble. they

come from hamburg, hanover blame and rust stock, dusseldorf, purveyors of pyrotechnics had been worried about their economic plight as denmark prepares for a more subdued and new year's celebration than usual. but now, business is booming. your height is that the german customers have helped safe does it. so that's been nice. hemmings in estimates that this year german customers account for 65 percent of the shops turn over. so it looks like, even though the brandenburg gate party is strictly no spectators, nightclubs will be closed and all indoor venues will be off limits to the un vexed germans will still be able to make some noise to welcome in the new year. here's a reminder of the tough business story we're following for you. this. our stock markets are in a feat mode as the year draws for close investors sense the impact of the i'm a crohn corona virus variant might not be as serious as previously feared

on pablo foliage in berlin for more business, he check out our website, d, w, dot com for slash business, and we're also on the t w news and youtube channel. and you can find us on facebook as d w doc business until next time. take care. ah ah. their importance to the economy is huge. oh, buck getting hold of them is often a dirty business. critical commodities make us mo bile make our

smartphones smart. how can today's global hunger for lithium cobalt and more the satisfied made in germany w. how to eat without feeling guilty about the impact on the planet or according to german food, pioneers is possible. they are creating environmentally friendly alternatives for popular foods in the kitchen. and the laboratory. is this the solution to a growing global population? global 3000. in 60 minutes on d, w. o, she

listen carefully. don't know how you miss today. go. ah, feel the magic discover the world around you. subscribe to d w documentary on youtube. ah ah, ah, ah, ah, to batteries, smartphones and even cosmetics have in common, right. they all contain silicon rare earth networks,

lithium and other such elements. yes, they do even cosmetics. but the bigger issue is in most places, these elements are not readily available and mining them often harms the environment. so today we look at the race for critical raw materials or come to made. now has something to note down june. the 12th is the united nations world day against child labor. to day, almost one in 10 of all children worldwide are engaged in child labor. and often they work in hazardous environments like mining the kinds of raw materials we need to keep up our way of life. micah is a group of minerals, houston, electronics, pains, and cosmetics. not only does it add an attractive shimmer to cosmetics, it's also a good conductor of heat and an electrical insulator. but very often, children are involved in mining it. ah, gum al,

debbie and her 5 year old son ron, you turned the off in search of micah. the glittering mineral plays a vital role in this regions economy. for many people mining, the raw material is the only way to survive. children working for hours in the blistering sun in the indian state of junk, and it's nothing out of the ordinary. so that's what i let dello glad of my children are so young, but there's no other way of making a living here. there's no farming and nothing that i can't afford to send them to school out. they have to help me had that though, but they managed to to 2 and a half kilos a day. and then we work until 5 in the evening class was it that they used to be more than 700 official micah mines in northern india. but in 1980, a new law came into force planning deforestation that made it almost impossible to access new sources of the mineral, the companies left,

but the mines remained to day, some 50000 adults and children working illegally. almost all the workers are darling to occupy the lowest rung in the indian cast system. many a members of indigenous tribes who are socially marginalized because there is little in the way of industry in the area. people are reliant on the mines. a kilogram of my car can bring up to the equivalent of 20 euro cents, but often they receive just half of that middleman clean the mineral in large filter drums, the platelets are then count into varying sizes. this is how it enters the market. the word micah describes a group of naturally occurring silicate materials that are rigid, yet at the same time, elastic. paul, many industries use the mineral in huge quantities among them, the cosmetic sector. a

few years ago, anna maria yeager and her husband chi, founded their company lethal cosmetics. the ag stressed that all the ingredients, the firm uses are vegan and ethically sourced. in other words, they guarantee no animal testing was involved in production and no child labor. one of the key raw materials lethal cosmetics uses is micah, some of it comes from india. here we have 3 different types of mica and a deserve like sample of a sparkly version, and which also has a job critic effect to it. and what is great about us aesthetic face, barclay, but it's completely natural, so it's free from any plastics. lawyers can't imagine making their cosmetics without micah. that's why they decided to hand pick their supplier in india. they chose

a distributor who was able to provide assurances that his micah only comes from minds that don't use child labor. although in the sector, it's often difficult to determine where the material originated with our suppliers is one supplier that often the manufacturer that also works directly with the minds and also of the audits of the mines that has been independently audited as well. and that is where we gained that confidence. mike is used in a wide range of applications. the biggest buyer in 2015 in terms of market value was the electronics industry, followed by companies that added the mineral to paints. and like, as mike also finds widespread use in a construction industry, and of course it plays an important role in the cosmetic sector. every day command debbie and her son toil away to help satisfy the global hunger.

for micah, they never have any problem selling what they've collected to one of many traders. if they receive a $150.00 rupees, a little under 2 euros, then it's a good day. she says, that's enough to buy some vegetables and rice. but for that, everyone has to pitch in, including both her daughters, aged $7.00 and $9.00. what was the average? and i'm always afraid when i'm working that i'll be bitten by insects or snakes or that i'll fall into a pit. oh, it's clump i family. i'd really like to go to school. i was gone, but we need money. i have we don't even have our own house. so i have to collect micah and unambiguous law has been in place in india since 2016. no child under the age of 14 is allowed to work, but the government itself concedes that around 12000000 children and young people are doing just that. aid organization's estimate there are around $44000000.00 child labor. as in india,

it thought that around 22000 children are working in illegal mines in the states of john kind and b ha. many of them have never known a life without work. because of their size, they're all for me to crawl into freshly dug unsecured pits and shafts. oh, i know i'm always afraid when i'm looking for micah are not long ago over there. 2 or 3 children of my age were buried in one of the shafts. and they died like that. i want to go to school. i don't want this region for companies that work with micah products, it's a perpetual balancing act between marketing and morals, business and conscience at lethal cosmetics in berlin. the yag is or trying to

tackle the issue head on wherever possible. they want to know exactly where they have raw materials coming from. they also don't try to conceal from their customers that they use. micah is anti regions of india that are financially dependent on micah. and so if you replace it with something, for example, something synthetic, you basically taking away their livelihood. so i think it's absolutely within our responsibility. of course, it's also within the responsibility of everybody in the chain to make sure that it's producing ethically as well. the cosmetics industry is very secretive when it comes to micah 2017 saw the launch of the responsible micah initiative, an alliance of companies obtaining micah from india. they all say they have a clear goal to end child labor in the mines by 2022. but an interview on the subject, a camera? well, all are requests including those sent to big industry names like mag,

the clarence group and a coupon shay were turned down. if you asked the miners or jack and how to solve the problem, they say genuine change can only come if mining is once again officially allowed. because that's the only way to offer workers clear safety standards and a fair wage. then their children wouldn't have to work. some politicians have been demanding the reintroduction of official mining for a long time. now did the now be my good as you can see that all the labourers here are giving their sweat and blood. they're breaking their bones. i did, but what kind of life is this she liked either good. like is the government can't just look the other way about him. don't we deserve better than this? we don't with that. got it. and all this toil, so that the rest of the world can use not only cosmetics, but also devices like smartphones, a couldn't exist without rare earth. they used to create the vibration,

for example, and to display vivid colors. so ratliff elements are in huge demand worldwide. but reserves are finite. did you know there is gold in your smartphone? but don't go smashing it with a hammer. it's just a tiny amount of fraction of a ground. but still with your device also contains 16 of the 17 rare earth elements. they are what makes the smartphone smart, for example, new damien, disposing them and praise your damien, make it vibrate, and, and turban produces the vivid colors and the display around half of the world's population now has a smartphone. and with the number growing rapidly demand for rare earths is set to rise. the good news is that rare earth's orange. in fact,

all that where the bad news is that mining them is difficult and bad for the environment. and reserves are finite. the supply of some rail herbs could be exhausted in just a few decades. so what can we do about it? well, you could keep your smartphone for longer. and when you do get a new one, have the old where recycled. oh, wow. my smartphone is hold on. yes. um, i think i think it is 8 or 9 years old. wow. guess in terms of the environment i'm doing pretty good. if using a device that runs on lithium ion battery really is environmentally friendly. i know that those batteries are crucial for the car industry to move away from fossil fuels. electron mobility is the buzzword, but how green are these batteries really and what happens to them after they've been used? let's find out. ah, in 2019 john. good enough,

stanley whittingham and akira, you see no jointly won the nobel prize and chemistry. the discovery place out lloyd, it's have led to a dramatic change in our society. they invented and developed a technology that most of us use every day, often without even noticing. it's in a earbuds, smartphones, laptop, computers, countless vacuum cleaners, and electric scooters. it's this the lithium ion battery. this technology is key to us driving around without burning fossil fuels. what's, what does it take to make all these batteries? what do we do with them once they're spent and why on earth are we playing with lego in this video? let's find out. ah,

the automobile has brought comfort and independence to the lives of billions of people. but guzzling, ever growing amounts of fossil fuels has also taken its toll on the climate. we have an energy, thanks to lithium ion batteries. we might now be entering a new era of mobility because of their high energy density that perfect and electric vehicles for a relatively tiny package, they pack of big punch. the lithium ion battery has really enable many paul song. i mean de compensation. this is hans eric melon. he sounded a research and consulting firm focusing on lithium ion batteries ever thing and mobility, lithium ion battery is i would say they have been a key technology really. the potential is so big in that sector we, we get some such a scale in the,

in the production and upgrade to the cost down of the batteries. the global fleet of electric vehicles is predicted to grow immensely over the next decade from around 8000000 to 116000000. this means the demand for lithium ion batteries will also shoot up, and this is where we might run into some problems. of course, it has a cost. we need materials to produce a battery sent in any extract of industry has an impact on the environment. lithium is su, probably guessed pretty central to making the lithium ion battery. about 50 percent of the world's reserve of this alkali metal can be found here, and the so called lithium triangle across argentina, bolivia, and chilly mining. it involves pumping sold water from underground lakes into pools and letting it evaporate. the process that could harm the surrounding soil drain water supplies and contaminate the air. so lithium is finite. the study found we

could run into serious trouble by mid century. if demand keeps growing like this, then there's cobalt that also goes on to lithium ion batteries. it's a metal mainly found in the democratic republic of the congo. it's mining has often been linked to inhumane working conditions and child labor people exposed to it have suffered from lung disease or hot problems. they have all of the energy that is required to make batteries, and especially production of cells require la vantage. and this means c o 2 emissions. how much exactly really depends on the electricity mix of the producing country. but according to recent figures, making just a small battery for a call like this could cause more than 4 tons of c o 2. to give you an idea that's like driving a new diesel car bought in the u for about 33000 kilometers. the good news is that emissions are thinking as battery production becomes more efficient and we shift towards clean.