12,904 views
The nickel mines of New Caledonia are among the largest in the world. The tropical archipelago is still part of Greater France, and the French have been extracting the green metal nickel from the ground here since 1864. Since the European Commission adopted the European Green Deal, the demand for raw materials for batteries has increased sharply. But where do these metals actually come from, and what does this extraction do to the ecosystems where the mines are located? Bram Vermeulen was in New Caledonia, and saw what the nickel industry is doing to the island. Watch the entire broadcast of 'The Green Illusion' on NPO Start here: https://npo.nl/start/serie/frontlinie... In the VPRO series 'Frontlinie', Bram Vermeulen brings in-depth, narrative and revealing foreign journalism. Subscribe to the 'Frontlinie' newsletter and receive extra stories, background information and reading, viewing and listening tips in your inbox every two weeks: https://www.vpro.nl/frontlinie #bramvermeulen #frontlinie #vpro #kanaky #nikkel #greendeal