Sociocultural risks of resource extraction for the low-carbon energy transition: Evidence from the Global South

• Published in: The extractive industries and society Vol. 18; p. 101478
• Main Authors: Matanzima, Joshua, Loginova, Julia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.06.2024
• Subjects: Critical minerals; Cultural heritage; Culture; Energy transition minerals (ETMs); Global South; Indigenous people; Mining; Peasants; Planetary transitions; Mining; Planetary transitions; Indigenous people; Peasants; Energy transition minerals (ETMs); Cultural heritage; Critical minerals; Culture; Global South
• ISSN: 2214-790X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exis.2024.101478

•Energy transition mineral (ETM) extraction is fast paced to meet the decarbonization net zero targets by 2050.•Accelerated mineral extraction impacts on Indigenous peoples’ cultures in the Global South.•Research into the cultural impacts of fast-tracked mining of Energy Transition Minerals is limited, and therefore we offer guidelines on what mining researchers and social scientist can focus on.•Governments, mining companies and communities are always at loggerheads as a result of unaddressed cultural impacts of ETM mining. The ongoing global transition to low-carbon energy relies on access to energy transition minerals (ETMs), bringing to life new mining projects. This shift is particularly impacting the Global South, due to high levels of interaction of mineral deposits with territories of Indigenous peoples and peasants, weak governance and remoteness. Focusing on the sustainability and justice of energy transitions, previous research has identified a range of environmental and social impacts of ETM mining across Global South countries. We argue that current research overlooks impacts of energy transition-related mining on tangible and intangible cultural heritage of land-connected people. This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the intersection of ETM mining and sociocultural practices in the Global South from spatial, governance and justice perspectives. Based on an extensive literature review, this article critically addresses key themes in the literature on the social aspects of energy transitions and uses cases from Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Chile, and Papua New Guinea (PNG) to demonstrate the immediate and long-term sociocultural impacts associated with ETM mining. It is important to foster an all-encompassing approach to planetary just energy transitions that places equal weight on ensuring cultural alongside environmental, economic and social sustainability.