Mads Barbesgaard
Biträdande universitetslektor
"Blood on the floor": The nickel commodity frontier and inter-capitalist competition under green extractivism
Författare
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.
Avdelning/ar
- Institutionen för kulturgeografi och ekonomisk geografi
Publiceringsår
2024
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
567-585
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Journal of Political Ecology
Volym
31
Issue
1
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
University of Arizona
Ämne
- Other Social Sciences
Aktiv
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1073-0451