11.11.11 presents: the Current Account
The hidden costs of our energy
October 05 2025
5 minutes
De oil and mining sector operates on a harsh reality. Behind every liter of oil and every gram of cobalt lies hidden costs: exploitation, pollution, human rights violations and a climate crisis that is getting worse and worse.
Vulnerable communities worldwide, from Bolivia to Congo and the Philippines, pay the price for it. With their health, their land and sometimes even their lives. While fossil fuel multinationals and mining giants are making billions in profits. And they operate powerfully and ruthlessly: they help write laws, lobby policymakers, and intimidate those who cross them.
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This must and can be done differently. 11.11.11 fights for a fossil-free world on renewable energy, but without the exploitation of people and nature. We also take this plea with us to the international climate summit In Brazil, world leaders must demonstrate: is it business as usual, or are we choosing a truly just transition?
The mining companies are shamelessly violating Palawan's environmental regulations. They are encouraging corruption and intimidation. This is an injustice I will not accept.
We do not want to pay this bill
The Belgian economy is addicted to fossil fuels. More than two-thirds of our energy comes from imported oil and natural gas. This addiction is massively destroying lives and ecosystems. And ultimately, our entire world.
So a green transition: of course, and urgently. But there's a catch: an electric car, for example, consumes an average of six times more minerals than a conventional car—think cobalt from Congo or lithium from Bolivia. These are countries where mining is often associated with pollution, land grabbing, and poor working conditions.
The real cost of energy So it goes far beyond the price at the pump or on our bill. A bill that we, as citizens, don't want to pay.
- Exploitation: Mining companies make billions while communities lose their land, water and health
- Pollution: At least 23 million people worldwide live in areas poisoned by mining waste
- Fatal work: Mining employs barely 1% of the workforce, but causes 8% of all fatal occupational accidents
- Environmental destruction: Fossil fuel and mining threaten forests worldwide, including the Amazon rainforest
Yet the energy transition offers an opportunity to break this inequality. But without intervention, it risks repeating old patterns of exploitation, simply in a new guise.
Our partners in resistance
Fighting for a fossil-free world isn't something we do alone. From Congo to Latin America and Asia, communities around the world are standing up for equitable energy.
11.11.11 fights for a fair energy transition
11.11.11 fights for a fossil-free world on renewable energy, but please, without exploitation. It's high time that Belgium and the EU opt for an energy and raw materials policy that protects people and the planet, not the profit margins of a few multinationals.
From November 10 to 21, world leaders, civil society organizations, scientists and indigenous representatives gathered in Belém, Brazil for the international climate summit COP30. It was decided there how we would tackle the climate crisis. Also 11.11.11 was there to put pressure for policies that are truly fair, for everyone.
This year's climate summit delivered tangible progress towards a global transition, but left important opportunities Focuses on financing and phasing out fossil fuels. Ten years after the landmark Paris climate agreement, a package should have been in place that would make a difference for the communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Unfortunately, that promise has not been fulfilled.
Fossil fuel and mining companies prioritize profits over people and nature. Too often, they cause pollution, land grabbing, and intimidation of communities, while the consequences are borne by others.
European legislation like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was finally supposed to put a stop to malpractice: requiring companies to keep their entire value chain clean, respect human rights, and prevent environmental pollution. But what are we seeing? The directive is now being phased out and weakened, threatening polluting companies with evading responsibility. Belgium and the EU must work tirelessly to ensure strict, enforceable implementation of the law with real sanctions.
A just transition is only possible if the rights of workers and communities worldwide are prioritized. This means:
- Safe and healthy working conditions
- Freedom of association and collective bargaining
- No child labor, forced labor or modern slavery
- Genuine participation of indigenous and local communities
The EU consumes energy and raw materials as if the planet were infinite. The energy transition cannot be an excuse for unlimited resource extraction. Wealthy countries, in particular, must take the lead in energy conservation, more efficient use, and reduced resource consumption.
Concretely: smaller electric cars, better public transport, smart spatial planning, and circular products designed for repair and reuse. This way, we reduce dependence on new mining, limit the ecological impact, and break the pattern of exploitation.
Resource-rich countries possess enormous wealth, but mining revenues often flow to foreign companies. Local communities are left with pollution and land loss.
Belgium and the EU must help establish international rules that give countries more control over their own raw materials. In concrete terms, this means fair tax and trade rules that ensure profits stay within the country and aren't siphoned off.
The power of fossil fuel and mining companies is disproportionate. Decisions about mining and energy must be inclusive and transparent, with genuine participation by indigenous communities, women, workers, and local residents.
Communities must have the right to say "no." They must be protected from intimidation and oppression, so they can hold companies accountable for their impact on people and the planet. Belgium must defend this right internationally.
Join
Join the fight for fair energy for everyone. Together, we force politicians and businesses to take responsibility.
