Our Research Manager Aline R. Barbosa Pereira contributed to the roundtable on Resource Extractivism and Environmental (In)Justice organised by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) in cooperation with the Volkshochschule in Bonn (VHS). Three other experts with different disciplinary backgrounds joined the discussion moderated by Cécile Jeblawei (BCDSS): Prof. Dr. Ulbe Bosma of the International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam (IISG); Dr. Jennifer Leetsch (BCDSS) and Marie Müller-Koné of the Bonn International Center for Conflict Studies (BICC).
In her presentation Mining for the energy transition—keeping business as usual? Aline R. Barbosa Pereira problematised the ever-increasing demand for raw materials that permeate our daily lives and are also essential for the energy transition. Reflecting on the conditions under which metals are extracted, she highlighted the environmental and social consequences of recent open-pit iron ore mining projects in Brazil and the risk that the much-needed energy transition is used to legitimise unsustainable practices.
The event was well attended and the audience actively participated in the discussion on the historical and current impacts of extractivism in different global contexts and its consequences for local communities.
Photos by Buğra N. Duman, BCDSS, 2024