Mads Barbesgaard
Associated Senior Lecturer
"Blood on the floor": The nickel commodity frontier and inter-capitalist competition under green extractivism
Author
Summary, in English
Major companies in the mining industry are strategizing to benefit from the expected rise in demand for energy
"transition minerals" that underpin current technologies of decarbonization (such as batteries and wind turbines).
This article elucidates their current strategies of accumulation through the case of BHP, the world's largest mining
company. We draw on political ecology and commodity frontier theory in order to grapple with inter-capitalist
competition under the current moment of green extractivism by examining firm and state practices in the nickel
commodity frontier. Empirically, we examine the changing role that nickel has played in BHP's asset portfolio
during the past decade where it has attempted to significantly accumulate from the expansion of the nickel
commodity frontier. Yet, despite this centering of the expansion of the nickel commodity frontier for its particular
strategy of accumulation under green extractivism, it has so far been unsuccessful. Given this potential for failure
of company practices in commodity frontiers, we argue that green extractivism should not always and everywhere
be seen as a story foretold.
"transition minerals" that underpin current technologies of decarbonization (such as batteries and wind turbines).
This article elucidates their current strategies of accumulation through the case of BHP, the world's largest mining
company. We draw on political ecology and commodity frontier theory in order to grapple with inter-capitalist
competition under the current moment of green extractivism by examining firm and state practices in the nickel
commodity frontier. Empirically, we examine the changing role that nickel has played in BHP's asset portfolio
during the past decade where it has attempted to significantly accumulate from the expansion of the nickel
commodity frontier. Yet, despite this centering of the expansion of the nickel commodity frontier for its particular
strategy of accumulation under green extractivism, it has so far been unsuccessful. Given this potential for failure
of company practices in commodity frontiers, we argue that green extractivism should not always and everywhere
be seen as a story foretold.
Department/s
- Department of Human Geography
Publishing year
2024
Language
English
Pages
567-585
Publication/Series
Journal of Political Ecology
Volume
31
Issue
1
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
University of Arizona
Topic
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1073-0451