Global copper demand surge revives abandoned mines, exposing extractivism’s cyclical violence on land and labor
Original framing: “Copper squeeze breathes new life into old mines - Reuters” — Reuters (via Google News)
Marginalized voices, such as those of the *Bambara women* in Mali who oppose gold and copper mining on their lands or the *Lakota Sioux* in the U.S., who have fought against uranium and copper extraction, are entirely absent from the 'copper squeeze' narrative. These communities experience the brunt of mining’s impacts—displacement, water poisoning, and cultural erosion—yet their testimonies are replaced by corporate PR or economist commentary. For example, the *Congolese women* who have organized against cobalt and copper mining in the DRC highlight how extraction disproportionately harms women, who bear the burden of environmental degradation while reaping none of the benefits. Including these voices would reveal mining revivals as not just economic events but as sites of ongoing resistance and suffering.
The 'copper squeeze' narrative is a classic example of how extractive capitalism co-opts ecological and economic crises to justify its own expansion, obscuring the systemic violence it perpetuates.
The revival of old mines is not a story of economic renewal but a cycle of colonial extraction, where Indigenous land stewardship, historical precedents of ecological collapse, and marginalized voices are systematically erased to prioritize short-term profit. The current framing serves the interests of mining corporations and financial speculators, who benefit from the volatility of commodity markets while displacing the costs onto local communities and ecosystems. To break this cycle, solutions must center Indigenous sovereignty, circular economy principles, and financial reforms that redirect speculative profits into sustainable development. The trickster here is the myth of infinite growth, which masks the reality that copper mining revivals are not about 'new life' but about prolonging a system of exploitation that has already devastated too many lands and lives.