What it is
Resource extraction means taking natural materials—like oil, metals, fish, timber, and coal—from the Earth to make products and build modern cities. Wealthy nations and large international companies extract these materials through mining, drilling, logging, and fishing. While extraction mostly happens in the Global South, its environmental and social impacts affect people worldwide.
Environmental problems include water pollution, ruined farmland, and destroyed natural habitats. Social costs include dangerous working conditions, child labour, and the loss of local land. Consumers benefit from cheap products and modern technology, while local communities often lose their health and environment without receiving a fair share of the profits.
Personal stories
Kiran’s story: Kiran lived in a small farming village near a large open-pit copper mine in Zambia. For generations, his family grew vegetables and raised cattle on their land. However, as the mine expanded, toxic waste polluted the local river. This turned the water chemical-red and killed the crops. When his family’s health began to suffer from contaminated drinking water, they were forced to abandon their farm and move to an area with crowded, temporary homes on the edge of a major city. Today, Kiran works as an informal day labourer, struggling to earn enough money to buy clean water and food for his family.
Sitia’s story: Sitia lived in a coastal community in Indonesia. Her village relied entirely on traditional fishing to earn a living. A few years ago, a multinational company began large-scale seabed mining and sand extraction near her island's shore to support offshore construction projects. The heavy industrial machinery destroyed the local coral reefs and drove the fish away, leaving local fishers with empty nets. When Sitia joined a peaceful protest to protect her island’s marine ecosystem, company representatives threatened the community. With the help of an international environmental organisation, Sitia and her neighbours are now taking legal action to demand official protection for their traditional fishing grounds.
Some broader issues
Environmental injustice: Local communities near mines or oil fields often face dirty and contaminated water, polluted air, and ruined farmland. Toxic chemicals from mining can cause serious long-term health problems for local residents and surrounding ecosystems. Meanwhile, the people who buy the final products live far away and never experience these harmful environmental impacts.
Economic inequality and the “Resource Curse”: Many countries rich in natural resources remain poor. Foreign corporations or corrupt local elites take most of the profits, leaving very little money for local schools, hospitals, or roads. Furthermore, traditional jobs like farming and fishing are destroyed when land, water, or the sea is polluted, causing even greater poverty in areas of resource extraction.
Human rights and Indigenous Rights: Indigenous Peoples and local communities often lose their ancestral lands to big mining projects without their consent. When communities peacefully protest to protect their homes, they sometimes face violence or threats from corporate security, local armed groups, and government forces.
Global power imbalances: Historically, powerful nations took resources from poorer countries that they had colonised. Today, a similar pattern continues. Global trade rules often favour rich countries and big businesses, making it difficult for local communities in developing regions to demand fair treatment or stop harmful projects.
The Green Energy dilemma: Switching to renewable energy is essential to reduce CO2 emissions and address climate change. However, solar panels, wind turbines, and electric car batteries require massive amounts of critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and copper. As a result, the environmental and social costs of extraction often fall heavily on mining communities in developing regions to supply low-carbon technology for wealthier nations.
[1] Sustainable development: SDGs目標12「つくる責任 つかう責任」のポイントとなる天然資源の現状とは
[2] Resource scarcity: 迫る資源の枯渇 現状と今からできることを解説
[3] Critical minerals: BBC. (5 February 2026). What are critical minerals and why do countries need them? https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6wwx7zxd9o
[4] Deep-sea mining: Deutsche Welle. (31 January 2026). The hidden money behind deep-sea mining. https://www.dw.com/en/the-hidden-money-behind-deep-sea-mining/a-75723552
[5] Indigenous rights: The Conversation. (13 November 2025). The path to responsible mining in northern Ontario starts with Indigenous consent. https://theconversation.com/the-path-to-responsible-mining-in-northern-ontario-starts-with-indigenous-consent-267935
[1] Conflict minerals: Deutsche Welle. (12 July 2025). How gold keeps Sudan at war. (16 minutes 8 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNzC2U-P5kM
[2] Indigenous rights: PBS Newshour. (24 August 2024). How the mineral mining boom endangers Indigenous communities worldwide. (8 minutes 14 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWuYOhlgGUI
[3] Geopolitics: Deutsche Welle. (29 November 2025). Inside the new battleground for critical minerals. (13 minutes 41 seconds). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GF4szSHPkQ
What do you find interesting, surprising, or worrying about Resource Extraction issues?
What specific issue do you want to research further regarding Resource Extraction? Why?
What focus do you want to take in your inquiry:
Individual: Personal experiences and perspectives
Local: Situations and issues in a local community, town, or city
Organisational: Actions taken by local or regional organisations
Systemic: Law, policy, human rights, or international frameworks
Combined: A mixture of multiple angles
4. Write down your initial research questions and your next steps.