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 centre 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 future planet.
| ISBN: | 9781837732692 |
| Publication date: | 25th September 2025 |
| Author: | Thea N Riofrancos |
| Publisher: | Icon Books |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 288 pages |
| Genres: |
Environmental economics Reportage, journalism or collected columns Politics and government Environmentalist thought and ideology Pollution and threats to the environment Environmental science, engineering and technology |
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 centre 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 future planet.
Extraction features in the following genres: Environmental economics, Reportage, journalism or collected columns, Politics and government, Environmentalist thought and ideology, Pollution and threats to the environment, Environmental science, engineering and technology
Extraction is available in Hardback
Extraction was written by Thea N Riofrancos and published by Icon Books
Extraction has 288 pages
£18.00