Sustaining Violence - A Colonial Déjà Vu?

Abstract

I. Abstract In the midst of a world grappling with interconnected global challenges, climate change has surged to the forefront as a growing concern demanding urgent resolution. This research delves into the intricate interplay of historical legacies, power dynamics, and the pursuit of sustainability within the context of cobalt mining-a pivotal facet of the global green energy transition. The research navigates the nexus between climate justice, an unrelenting growth paradigm, and extractivism, with a particular focus on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) using an exploratory case study approach to determine whether green extractivism can serve as a threat multiplier. The findings unveiled an intricate tapestry wherein historical imprints and power dynamics converge, shaping the violent trajectory of cobalt extraction which has remerged in the post-Paris era. The case of the DRC underscores the discord between sustainability aspirations and the unfettered pursuit of economic growth. The ecological toll of cobalt mining, particularly its resonance within the Congo Basin rainforest, reveals alarming environmental consequences while economic realities expose a paradox wherein growth comes at grave human and environmental expense. The country's contemporary dependence on cobalt fuels an overreliance...