Civic power in just transitions: Blocking the way or transforming the future?
Think tank: Institute of Development Studies
Author(s): Anabel Marín; Gabriel Palazzo
December 4, 2024
This report from UK think tank the Institute of Development Studies examines civic power in just transitions.
This paper reveals that opposition to mineral extraction is a pervasive global phenomenon, spanning diverse sociopolitical contexts and posing major challenges for the political sustainability of the energy transition.
Using data from the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone (GDELT) Project, we map patterns of conflict and cooperation in mining regions globally, providing an unprecedented systematic overview of impacts and underlying economic, environmental, and justice-related drivers.
Our findings indicate that many conflicts reach high levels of polarisation, which, as case studies show, often lead to costly delays or project cancellations. Although cooperation frequently arises alongside conflict, high-commitment cooperative actions remain limited in impact and uncertain in their ability to drive meaningful change.
