In a book about batteries, you might not expect the author to be detained by Congolese secret police because he attempted to meet a rebel warlord whose militia has been linked with cannibalism. But that’s exactly what happened when journalist Nicolas Niarchos was doing research for The Elements of Power: a Story of War, Technology and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth. In his debut book, Niarchos dives into the global supply chain of critical metals for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Nowadays Li-ion technology powers electric vehicles, laptops and smartphones, and provides backup for renewable energy when the Sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing. The critical metals in these batteries come from all corners of the Earth. In 2024 Australia, Chile and China were the top three producers of lithium; Indonesia produced over half of the world’s nickel; and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dominated the cobalt mining industry.…