Resisting natural resource extraction in the global south

The definition of sustainability by the United Nations, amidst the current climate emergency, emphasises the need to find a balance between present needs, whilst protecting the ability of future generations to meet their own. Today’s international efforts to reverse the extractive methods of a globalised market economy remain siloed. Since the colonial project of 1492, the impact of destruction on the world’s biodiversity has been disproportionately shouldered by communities in the Global South. Currently, natural resource extraction is either sidelined or branded as a development initiative. Under the international agenda for sustainability and green initiatives lies a heavy price tag with devastating consequences for the rural and Indigenous communities and their territories, within Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Market-driven development initiatives within this article are argued as inherently violent. The mining of critical minerals, also referred to as “conflict minerals” are essential for these technologies. With nearly 1 million Congolese displaced and a 60% illiteracy rate among children in Zambia’s resource-rich Copperbelt region, these so-called sustainability initiatives often serve the interests of a privileged global minority, whilst deepening inequality and exploitation in the Global South. The authors examine Western-led “sustainable” agendas from a decolonial lens and draw on Indigenous theory to explain underdevelopment in the Global South. In addition, this article focuses on women’s resistance to the current status quo of so-called development. The main findings advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous and rural women from affected communities to lead the reshaping of our relationship with each other and the planet. In this context, resistance represents a commitment to re-imagining sustainability beyond the dominant mainstream approaches in order to address modern-day challenges. This research article presents a critical review of women’s experiences and resistance movements to understand meaningful sustainability from both Indigenous and rural perspectives.