Behind every EV battery, smartphone and data centre are communities living with the realities of resource extraction. What does a just transition really look like?
Every solar panel, EV battery, smartphone, data centre and piece of modern infrastructure begins with materials extracted from the Earth. As demand for critical minerals and other essential resources continues to grow, so too do the impacts on the landscapes and communities where they are found.
In this session, Professor Glenn Banks from Massey University explores the human dimensions of resource extraction. Drawing on decades of research into mining, resource governance and community development, he examines how global demand for minerals shapes the lives, livelihoods and futures of the people living closest to extraction.
As the world pursues decarbonisation, digitalisation and continued economic growth, difficult questions emerge. Who benefits from resource extraction? Who bears the environmental and social costs? How can communities meaningfully participate in decisions about the resources on which modern society depends?
And ultimately, is it possible 'to live well with extraction'?
This session invites us to look beyond the technologies we celebrate and consider the people and places that make them possible. It challenges us to rethink what a just and resilient future looks like when the materials we rely on come with real consequences for communities around the world.
YOUR SPEAKERS
Professor of Geography and International Development