Perspectives on Life in Society 2024–2025, Ep. 4 – Extractivism in Sacrificed Areas in the Global South

Low-income countries are often subject to massive extractivism, which began during the colonial era and has continued ever since. This extractivism has devastating consequences that often irreversibly transform territories, creating what are known as “sacrifice zones,” where life is possible only under extremely degraded conditions. 

While numerous campaigns and scientific studies highlight the health and environmental (as well as social, economic, and political) damage caused by this form of extractivism, many economic and political actors employ complex strategies that create uncertainty and ignorance about this damage, with the aim of concealing it. It is these mechanisms that we will analyze and examine, drawing on case studies of agricultural and mining extractivism in South America and Africa.