60 Minutes Investigates Congo's Conflict Minerals
by TAMMY ROSECRANS, Causecast Editor
You may have heard the term “conflict minerals” but most likely, the first thing that comes to mind are diamonds. I mean, Leonardo DiCaprio played a compelling role in Blood Diamond but hopefully it won’t take another A-list celebrity to make people realize that diamonds aren’t the only issue.
CBS aims to shed light on another conflict mineral that is fueling the deadliest war since WWII. This Sunday, November 29 at 7:00 p.m., 60 minutes will air a special segment on the conflict over gold in central Africa. CONGO GOLD will take in-depth look into the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has led to over 4.5 million deaths in only a decade and how it is connected to our addiction to gold.
With the upcoming holiday season, consumer demand for gold increases. You may be thinking about that gold necklace you’ve been eying…well, sadly, jewelry is not the only culprit. Gold is used in our laptops, cellphones, cameras, and TV’s. It is in more places than you may have realized. Alongside gold, other conflict minerals such as coltan, tungsten, tin, and tantalum are all found powering our electronics each day. Though innocently and inadvertently, we are each funding a deadly and brutal war through our daily purchases.
Learn more about the conflict, be a smart consumer, and urge your Representatives and Congressmen and women to sign the Conflict Minerals Trade Act of 2009. Most importantly, believe that each individual action can grow a nation of change.
If this is the first time you’ve heard about conflict minerals, then this is a great short video to get you up to speed. The Enough Project’s John Prendergast explains the war through Conflict Minerals 101.
Tune in Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. for the CONGO GOLD special on CBS’s 60 Minutes to learn more about the connection between gold and the war in Congo.
Photo by covilha, flickr.
- Posted by Causecast
Related causes: Human Rights
Related Articles
-
Seafood For The Future Teaches Causecast How To Cook With Sustainable Seafood (VIDEO)
Seafood For The Future visited Causecast headquarters to talk about cooking with sustainable seaf...
- 02.08.10
- |
- 02:50pm
-
International Violence Against Women Act Re-Introduced In U.S. Congress
The International Violence Against Women Act would make the U.S. a global leader in eliminating v...
- 02.08.10
- |
- 01:52pm
-
The Boy Scouts Celebrate One Hundred Years Of Service
For one hundred years, the Boy Scouts have inspired community service, leadership and other value...
- 02.08.10
- |
- 12:47pm
-
Ten Things You Should Know About Organic Farming
Increased awareness about the benefits and concerns surrounding organic farming can help consumer...
- 02.08.10
- |
- 10:44am
-
Take Action To Improve Public School Lunch Programs
Take action to change school lunches in your city's public schools. Healthy food means healthy ki...
- 02.06.10
- |
- 01:24pm
It is about time for people to start talking about the conflict in Congo. The genocide in Rwanda has been the only thing that has been talked about the last 10 years, even though the conflict in Congo appear to be continually fueled by Rwandan government and private interests (most of the conflict were and are in the Eastern part of the Congo near the Congo-Rwanda border). I just hope that this conflicts will be resolved without using any [url=http://personalmoneystore.com/Payday-Loans/]payday loans[/url].
It is about time for people to start talking about the conflict in Congo. The genocide in Rwanda has been the only thing that has been talked about the last 10 years, even though the conflict in Congo appear to be continually fueled by Rwandan government and private interests (most of the conflict were and are in the Eastern part of the Congo near the Congo-Rwanda border). I just hope that this conflicts will be resolved without using any payday loans.