Presentation short abstract

Drawing on insights from political ecology, critical geography and environmental justice, the paper interrogates the rise of ‘climate extractivism’ and calls for a fairer, post-extractive future reimagining relationships with the earth.

Presentation long abstract

Drawing on insights from political ecology, critical geography and environmental justice, the paper draws from an upcoming book interrogating the rise of ‘climate extractivism’: the opening up of new resource frontiers and the construction of infrastructure megaprojects in the name of sustainability and climate mitigation. From artisanal cobalt mining in the DRC to rare-earth geopolitics, and from biofuel plantations to deep-sea and space mining, he reveals how green growth agendas frequently reproduce colonial structures, social injustice and patterns of dispossession. Many proposed solutions, such as geoengineering, carbon offsets, circular economy schemes and degrowth, remain tethered to considerations of economic growth and geopolitical competition. Rather than rejecting the urgency of climate transition, critiques call for a fairer, post-extractive future– one that wholly reshapes how we produce and consume energy, and fosters a more democratic, cooperative relationship with the earth.