# 1315: Nicolas Niarchos | The Dirty Supply Chain Behind "Clean" Energy

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263/1315-nicolas-niarchos-the-dirty-supply-chain-behind-clean-energy
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263/1315-nicolas-niarchos-the-dirty-supply-chain-behind-clean-energy.md
Podcast: [The Jordan Harbinger Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263)
Published: 2026-04-21T07:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://prefix.up.audio/s/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/claritaspod.com/measure/arttrk.com/p/PDPN1/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/0rfjk5dlUYvVVB1j4JMa/rss.art19.com/episodes/a06887a4-52dc-4bff-9f60-56481ee7b2cd.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgtDaHJvbWUGOgZFVA%3D%3D--d05363d83ce333c74f32188013892b2863ad051c
Audio file: https://prefix.up.audio/s/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/prfx.byspotify.com/e/claritaspod.com/measure/arttrk.com/p/PDPN1/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/0rfjk5dlUYvVVB1j4JMa/rss.art19.com/episodes/a06887a4-52dc-4bff-9f60-56481ee7b2cd.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIgtDaHJvbWUGOgZFVA%3D%3D--d05363d83ce333c74f32188013892b2863ad051c
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263/episodes/1315-nicolas-niarchos-the-dirty-supply-chain-behind-clean-energy
Duration seconds: 4533

## Resource

Clean energy has a dirty secret buried deep in the Congo. The Elements of Power author Nicolas Niarchos is here to pull the supply chain apart link by link. Full show notes and resources can be found here: jordanharbinger.com/1315 What We Discuss with Nicolas Niarchos: "Clean" energy isn't clean — the cobalt in your phone or EV may have been hand-dug in dangerous DRC mine pits by workers living under near-slavery conditions, earning barely enough to scrape by. China processes 70–90% of critical battery metals and owns major mines across the DRC and Indonesia , giving it a stranglehold on the global supply chain that dwarfs OPEC's peak leverage over oil. Supply chain audits are largely theater — documents have flagged child labor and dangerous conditions at specific mines, yet production never stopped, and conditions often worsened in the years that followed. Communities surrounding DRC mines face heavy metal contamination, mine collapses, and the world's highest rates of congenital birth defects — a catastrophic human toll that's invisible at the point of sale. You're not powerless: using your devices longer, raising concerns at shareholder meetings, and pushing elected officials to prioritize ethical sourcing are concrete steps that create real, compounding pressure for change. And much more... And if you're still game to support us, please leave a review here — even one sentence helps! Sign up for Six-Minute Networking — our free networking and relationship development mini course — at jordanharbinger.com/course ! Subscribe to our once-a-week Wee Bit Wiser newsletter today and start filling your Wednesdays with wisdom! Do you even Reddit, bro? Join us at r/JordanHarbinger ! This Episode Is Brought To You By Our Fine Sponsors : BetterHelp: 10% off first month: betterh…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263/episodes/1315-nicolas-niarchos-the-dirty-supply-chain-behind-clean-energy/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-jordan-harbinger-show-546263/1315-nicolas-niarchos-the-dirty-supply-chain-behind-clean-energy.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.