Registration is required
Register at: https://bit.ly/oliverbalch11
College of Arts and Humanities
SpeakerOliver Balch
Dr Lloyd Davies
Oliver Balch is an independent journalist, specialising on business’s role in society. Currently based in Portugal, he is a regular contributor to The Guardian, The Times, and the FT, as well as other UK and international media. Oliver completed a PhD Cambridge University’s Centre of Latin American Studies in 2018, focusing on the role of corporate ethics, foreign investment, and neo-extractivism in Uruguay. Oliver is the author of three travel books, including Viva South America! His latest book project focuses on Amazonia.
www.oliverbalch.com
To: 11 Mar 2021, 8 p.m.
Location: Online Event - Please see description
Introduced by Dr Lloyd Davies
The tale of resource extraction in South America is as an age-old story. Recent decades have seen a new chapter begin to open as the region’s governments seek to recast extractivism as an engine for domestic development. This neo-extractivist turn may well generate macro and microeconomic benefits for host countries but it also comes with high social and environmental costs. The impacts of lithium mining provide an illustrative and timely case in point. Exponential demand for lithium-ion batteries is driving a mining boom in the fragile Atacama region of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. To secure European supply, moves are now afoot to expand lithium production into Portugal. Through the lens of this rush for “white oil”, this webinar will explore three core questions: what are the costs of neo-extractivism in South America, how are these legitimised, and what (if anything) can be done to resist?
Contact: Cultural Institute - Swansea University (Email: cultural-institute@swansea.ac.uk)
Website: https://bit.ly/oliverbalch11
Event created by: m.t.hughes