Labor Environmentalism in<scp>C</scp>olombia and<scp>L</scp>atin<scp>A</scp>merica

Chomsky, Aviva; Striffler, Steve

doi:10.1111/wusa.12135

Cited by 11 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…A wide range of studies already exists that focus on various environmental and social dimensions of the coal mining industry in Colombia (e.g. see CAN, 2016b;Chomsky & Striffler, 2014;CINEP/PPP, 2014;Hawkins, 2014;Moor & van de Sandt, 2014;Schücking, 2013). By contrast, this article focuses on business and economic considerations and aspects of climate policy, leaving other issues concerning (a continuation of) coal extraction in Colombia aside.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for steam coal exporters in the era of climate policies: a case study of Colombia

Oei

Mendelevitch

2018

Climate Policy

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Continued global action on climate change has major consequences for fossil fuel markets, especially for coal as the most carbon-intensive fuel. This article summarizes current market developments in the most important coal-producing and coal-consuming countries, resulting in a critical qualitative assessment of prospects for future coal exports. Colombia, as the world's fourth largest exporter, is strongly affected by these global trends, with more than 90% of its production being exported. Market analysis finds Colombia in a strong competitive position, owing to its low production costs and high coal quality. Nevertheless, market trends and enhanced climate policies suggest a gloomy outlook for future exports. Increasing competition on the Atlantic as well as Pacific market will keep coal prices low and continue pressure on mining companies. Increasing numbers of filed bankruptcies and lay-offs might be just the beginning of a carbon bubble devaluing fossil fuel investments and leaving them stranded. Colombia largely supplies European and Mediterranean consumers but also delivers some quantities to the US Gulf Coast, and to Central and South America. Future coal demand in most of these countries will continue to decline in the next decades. Newly constructed power plants in emerging economies (India, China) are unlikely to compensate for this downturn owing to increasing domestic supply and decreasing demand. Therefore, maintaining or even increasing mining volumes in Colombia should be re-evaluated, taking into account new economic realities as well as local externalities. Ignoring these risks could lead to additional stranded investments, aggravating the local resource curse and hampering sustainable economic development. Key policy insights. The climate policies of most of Colombia's traditional trade partners target steam coal as the more emission-intensive fossil fuel, with many countries implementing or considering a coal phase-out.. Coal exporters should re-evaluate their operations and new investments taking into account this new policy environment.. To prevent a race to the bottom among coal producers that would favour weak regulation, climate policy makers should also consider the local social and external costs of coal mining, including on health and the local environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects for steam coal exporters in the era of climate policies: a case study of Colombia

Oei

Mendelevitch

2018

Climate Policy

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“…Coal mining also catalyzed the arrival of right-wing paramilitary groups, who have regularly threatened and attacked Wayúu and Afro-descendant environmental activists (Ramírez Boscán, 2007). Since the mine is currently owned by Glencore, 6 profits generate wealth for international investors in Europe while proving unable to revert -or alleviate -local forms of food insecurity, environmental degradation, and poverty (Chomsky & Striffler, 2014;Jaramillo & Carmona, 2022). 7 In light of this, there has been widespread local resistance to mining activities (Banks, 2017), especially around the recent P-500 and the Arroyo Bruno deviation projects, a set of plans to access coal deposits in a nearby riverbed.…”

Section: The Rise Of Coalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-opted energy transitions: Coal, wind, and the corporate politics of decarbonization in Colombia

Banks,

Schwartz

2023

Journal of Political Ecology

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Latin America has long been a key site of resource extraction, acting as a sacrifice zone for the Global North's fossil fuel needs. Now, the region is pushing for an "energy transition" by opening its own electric grid to renewable sources. Using a case study from La Guajira, in Northeastern Colombia, we argue that energy corporations are appropriating and deploying the concept of energy transitions to fashion themselves as climate conscious, post-extractive, and environmentally caring actors. Based on ethnographic evidence from coal mining and wind energy companies, we argue that the corporate co-optation of the energy transition agenda plays out in public narratives and representations, environmental projects, and community relations. Drawing on insights from the political ecology of energy transitions and low-carbon infrastructures, we contend that corporate transition agendas are more than smoke and mirrors; they are tangible and consequential processes that perpetuate environmental conflicts, sustain forms of "green" accumulation, and foreclose the possibility of a just transition. In unraveling the competing yet entangled agendas of coal and wind companies, this article renders visible the continuities between fossil fuels and renewable energy in Latin America and beyond.

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“…Others emphasize the meaning of development (Bebbington et al, 2008) and labor and gender (Carney, 2004). Chomsky and Striffler (2014) explore the complexities of mining union critiques of mining in Colombia as due to exploitative North-South relationships rather than only environmental concerns. Discrepan-cies in social meanings are a key constitutive force in environmental conflicts.…”

Section: How Does “Development” Mean In the Context Of Mining Conflicts?mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does Development Mean? Attitudes toward Mining and the Social Meaning of Development in Guatemala

Dougherty¹

2018

Latin American Perspectives

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The ways that the concept of development comes to mean refract individual value sets and map onto Guatemalan host-community residents’ attitudes toward mining. Economically oriented residents tend to support mining while those who prioritize public health and environmental advocacy tend to oppose it. Individuals who trust institutions of the state tend to support mining, while individuals who perceive these issues through the lens of their religious faith tend to oppose it. Concerns around public health are especially salient. Focusing on individual-level decision making rather than community-level action distinguishes between rationale and decision, thus highlighting the variegated social meanings underlying superficially similar attitudes. Mining attitudes and their rationales are heterogeneous and vary in intensity. Las maneras en las que el concepto del desarrollo adquiere significado reflejan los valores del individuo y se alinean con las actitudes hacia la minería que poseen los guatemaltecos residentes en comunidades anfitrionas de proyectos mineros. Las personas que valoran el desarrollo económico tienden a apoyar la minería mientras que aquellos que priorizan la salud pública y la defensa del medioambiente tienden a oponerse. Las personas que confían en las instituciones del estado tienden a apoyar la minería mientras los individuos que ven estos temas a través del lente de su fe religiosa tienden a oponerse. Sobresalen en especial las preocupaciones en torno a la salud pública. El enfoque en la toma de decisiones a nivel individual en lugar de en la acción a nivel comunitario se diferencia entre la razón y la decisión, resaltando así los significados sociales que subyacen en las actitudes superficialmente similares. Las actitudes hacia la minería y sus razonamientos son heterogéneas y varían en su intensidad.

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Labor Environmentalism inColombia andLatinAmerica

Cited by 11 publications

References 16 publications

Prospects for steam coal exporters in the era of climate policies: a case study of Colombia

Prospects for steam coal exporters in the era of climate policies: a case study of Colombia

Co-opted energy transitions: Coal, wind, and the corporate politics of decarbonization in Colombia

How Does Development Mean? Attitudes toward Mining and the Social Meaning of Development in Guatemala

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