Speakers
Description
The transition to a clean energy economy necessitates securing critical minerals—such as nickel, copper, and cobalt—essential for advanced technologies and low-carbon solutions. The European Critical Raw Materials Act (2023) seeks to enhance the EU's self-sufficiency by mandating domestic sourcing of mined, processed, and recycled materials, while addressing the geopolitical challenges of dependence on external suppliers. This proposal explores the environmental and socio-economic implications of renewed extractive activities in Europe, focusing on the Alpine landscapes, particularly investigating Italy, which possesses 16 of the 34 critical raw materials identified in the Act but lacks active metal mining since the 1970s.
Our investigation centers on the proposed strategy by the Italian government to revitalize old and open new mines, particularly in the Alpine regions, alongside the need for substantial technological investments. Among the significant sites is Punta Corna, once Europe's largest cobalt mine, now a focal point for examining the clash between extractivist development and sustainable local economies rooted in tourism. Through a cartographic analysis, we analyze the competing narratives surrounding these mining initiatives, characterized by a traditional extractivist model and the "enrichment economy" (Boltanski & Esquerre, 2019) which emphasizes ultra protective territorial development strategies as territorial patrimonialization. This contrast raises critical questions about the sustainability of mining projects and their alignment with the values of local communities experiencing peripheralization and depopulation.
Our findings shed light on the intricate conflicts arising from rare earth extraction, illustrating the tension between economic aspirations and environmental integrity but also across different development paradigms. By framing Punta Corna as a case study, exploring its extractivist dynamics as advantaged laboratory for understanding the fears and hopes of local communities linked to the European Critical Raw Materials Act projects, we aim to ultimately contributing to broader discussions on sustainable resource governance and the socio-political complexities of extractive economies.
References
Boltanski L., Esquerre A., 2019, Arricchimento. Una critica della merce, Bologna : Il mulino.
| Keywords | re-mining, alpine region, territorial patrimonialization, extractivism, depopulation |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
