MINING HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: A COMPARISON OF RESISTANCE MOVEMENTS AROUND THE GLOBE

Anthropogenic global warming is happening faster in the Arctic than anywhere on Earth. Thirty percent of Arctic sea ice has been lost within the past thirty years. Greenhouse gasses from fossil fuels are the number one driver of warming, and humans are struggling to curb their emissions. Ice melt is opening up waterways for transport and providing access to new, untapped oil reserves—the extraction of which, ironically, would only further accelerate climate change. Mining interests in countries along the Arctic Circle are poised to take advantage of the opportunities of the melting physical barriers.

Arctic mining has coincided with the growth in land rights—or the rhetoric surrounding land rights—of Indigenous peoples. Conflicts erupt anywhere that valuable resources are found on or near lands that Indigenous peoples lay claim to and the need for technological solutions to climate change is directly linked to growing demand for copper, which is used in batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines. Examining the communities which often become divided over whether to seek economic benefits or prevent ecosystem destruction, the local community must weigh the purported benefits that usually turn out to be less than promised. Are local groups able to influence outcomes for ongoing/proposed/planned mines in their area, and, if so, how?

While working on the Tonto National Forest, I am continuing my research by looking at how local and Indigenous groups try to exert their influence over the mine proposal/planning process, especially with regard to navigating different business, and bureaucratic structures, similar to communities around the Arctic Circle.