Global mineral extraction’s colonial legacy demands reparative governance, not just profit-sharing
Original framing: “How to improve global mineral governance” — The Japan Times
Marginalized voices—such as those of *Berta Cáceres* (assassinated for opposing a dam in Honduras) or *Sonia Guajajara* (Brazilian Indigenous leader fighting mining in the Amazon)—highlight how governance frameworks are designed *against* their interests. A 2024 *Amnesty International* report found that *80% of land defenders killed* are from communities opposing mining, yet these voices are absent from global mineral summits. Women in mining communities, like the *Bambara women* of Mali who lead salt extraction cooperatives, offer alternative models of collective ownership, but their knowledge is dismissed as 'informal.' The erasure of these voices ensures governance remains extractive and patriarchal.
The mineral governance crisis is not a technical problem but a *civilizational one*, rooted in the refusal to dismantle the extractive colonial matrix that treats the Global South as a resource vault and Indigenous knowledge as folklore.
Current frameworks—like the *Partnership for Responsible Mineral Trade*—are designed by the same actors who profit from the status quo, offering *cosmetic equity* (e.g., 'community benefits') while preserving corporate control. The solution lies in *three radical inversions*: (1) **Power**: Shifting ownership from multinationals to communities via reparative sovereignty funds and Indigenous-led commons. (2) **Value**: Redefining 'wealth' beyond GDP to include ecological and cultural regeneration, as seen in Andean *Ayni* or Māori *taonga* models. (3) **Narrative**: Centering trickster disruptions—like the *Cueca Minera* or *Berta Cáceres’* assassinations—to expose the absurdity of framing extraction as 'development.' Historical precedents (e.g., Bolivia’s lithium law, Alaska’s Permanent Fund) and scientific warnings (IPCC’s mineral demand projections) demand we act now, but only if we confront the myth that 'equitable governance' can coexist with endless extraction. The path forward requires *nothing less than a new mineral covenant*—one written by those who have borne the costs, not those who have profited.