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Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
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63/99
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About This Book
An in-depth investigation into the growing industry of green technologies and the environmental, social, and political consequences of the mining it requires. In the fight against climate change, lithium's role in reducing emissions by powering green economies is a mixed blessing. Drawing on groundbreaking fieldwork in Chile, Nevada, and Portugal, Thea Riofrancos explores the environmental and social costs of the global race to expand lithium mining amid supply chain concerns. With haunting descriptions of vulnerable ecosystems, she examines how mining harms landscapes, provokes protest, takes center stage in national politics, and links countries on the peripheries of the world economy to huge corporations, commodity markets, and powerful investors. Riofrancos traces the history of global extraction from colonial conquest to the 1970s energy crisis to the still-uncertain green future. While an unregulated mining boom could inflict irreversible harm, Riofrancos offers compelling ideas about how to harmonize climate action with social justice. Across the world's extractive frontiers, we encounter the most brutal aspects of capitalism—but also witness inspiring visions for our planetary future.
Reviews
"Critical minerals are important if the future is to be a livable one, but their costs are very real [and] Riofrancos not only illustrates those costs; she suggests they are, at least to some extent, avoidable."
"[Riofrancos] manages to steer a navigable path between the Scylla of head-in-the-sand positivity and the Charybdis of blanket negativity ..."
"A well-researched look at global needs and wants, in conflict with local rights."
"A riveting firsthand account of the revival of [resource nationalism] in Latin American countries in recent years ..."
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