Calling for a Justice-Centred approach to Sustainability
“The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism” dives into a critical, thought-provoking issue: how today’s global push for environmental sustainability, instead of reversing colonial and capitalist injustices, often intensifies them. Edited by Miriam Lang, Mary Ann Manahan, and Breno Bringel, the book asserts that the current “green transition” is too often built upon exploitation, shifting the weight of climate solutions onto the shoulders of poorer, resource-rich nations. Through the contributions of activists, scholars, and researchers, the book sheds light on how the transition to “green” energy and sustainability initiatives can sustain or even deepen the power imbalances between wealthy and poorer nations—especially those in the Global South.
The text is divided into three sections, each addressing a different aspect of what it calls “green colonialism.” In essence, it reveals that while well-intentioned climate policies may sound like steps toward healing the planet, they may carry hidden costs. By the end, the book offers readers a path forward that emphasizes justice, grassroots empowerment, and genuine systemic change.
A New Kind of “Green” Colonialism
The book’s title, *The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism*, serves as a powerful warning: although today’s global environmental movement seeks to reverse climate damage, it can paradoxically continue colonialist dynamics under the guise of green policies. The editors and contributors argue that the shift toward sustainable technologies, though necessary to combat climate change, still relies on an economic model that values profit over people. And instead of fostering self-reliant growth, it demands massive extractions of resources from poorer countries, essentially reinforcing long-standing cycles of dependency and exploitation.
Consider lithium, cobalt, and copper—resources that are critical for electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels. These materials are often mined in developing countries like Chile, Bolivia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The book demonstrates how demand for these minerals has created a “green boom” that mimics the exploitative cycles of past colonial economies. With developed nations needing more of these resources to fuel their green technologies, they often pressure poorer countries into producing and exporting more, leading to significant environmental degradation and social upheaval in those regions. In effect, it’s a new wave of colonial extraction where wealthy nations benefit from “clean” energy while poorer nations face the consequences of intensified resource extraction.
Power, Profit, and “Green” Growth
In the first part of the book, the contributors explore what they call “hegemonic transitions,” or the dominant ways that governments and corporations are currently approaching sustainability. Instead of prioritizing truly ecological approaches, these transitions are overwhelmingly shaped by capitalist agendas that focus on profit rather than equitable solutions. Concepts like carbon markets and carbon offsets—popularized through international climate agreements—are revealed as mechanisms that do more to sustain corporate profit than they do to meaningfully reduce emissions. By focusing on ways to “offset” rather than cut emissions, these schemes allow companies and wealthier countries to maintain high levels of production and consumption, buying carbon credits instead of genuinely reducing pollution.
One striking example discussed is how multinational corporations market these green measures as beneficial to all, yet they can contribute to further degradation in the Global South. Carbon offsets often rely on afforestation projects (planting forests to absorb carbon) or renewable energy projects, but these projects are often established in countries where locals are removed from their lands to make way for conservation. Thus, the promised environmental benefits can come at the direct expense of the livelihoods, homes, and autonomy of indigenous populations.
The book critiques the tendency of wealthier nations to focus narrowly on carbon metrics as the primary indicator of environmental progress, which can oversimplify the ecological crisis. By reducing everything to a carbon cost-benefit analysis, there’s a risk of ignoring broader impacts—such as biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and the social displacement that comes with green development projects. True environmental restoration, the authors argue, would require reconsidering the capitalist model that underpins these projects, which often prioritizes profitability over genuine ecosystem health and human well-being.
Structural Entanglements of North and South
The second part of the book explores the tangled structural relationships that bind the Global North and South together. At the heart of these issues is the concept of “debt,” both financial and ecological. Financial debt has long been used as a mechanism to control poorer nations; loans from international organizations often come with stringent requirements for economic restructuring that prioritize resource extraction and export. This chapter reveals how environmental debt—a concept that reflects the North’s historical responsibility for the climate crisis—is largely ignored in global policy.
The book draws attention to the fact that countries in the Global South face much of the climate impact they had little part in creating. Despite this, the policies of wealthier countries often dictate the environmental and economic paths these nations can take. For example, countries may be pressured into free trade agreements that favor the extraction of resources at unsustainable rates. These agreements often include stipulations that make it harder for developing countries to restrict foreign investments or regulate environmental practices, leaving them economically dependent on the very activities that degrade their natural environments.
The authors argue that until there is an acknowledgment of these asymmetrical relations, the cycle will perpetuate. This section raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about justice: Can a truly green transition ever happen without addressing the ongoing exploitation embedded in current economic systems?
Grassroots Solutions and New Horizons
The book’s final section is perhaps the most hopeful, outlining an array of grassroots movements, alternative perspectives, and counter-hegemonic approaches from around the world. It highlights eco-feminism, degrowth, indigenous-led sustainability practices, and other local movements that emphasize a deep connection to the land and a way of life that prioritizes balance over growth. Unlike the top-down solutions critiqued in earlier sections, these movements arise organically and often in response to immediate threats faced by communities.
For example, the book discusses eco-feminist movements in Africa, where women are at the forefront of efforts to protect natural resources, as they are often the most affected by ecological degradation. Indigenous groups are similarly leading the charge in Latin America, advocating for “buen vivir,” or “living well,” a concept rooted in sustainability and communal well-being rather than perpetual economic growth.
The authors also explore degrowth—a radical rethinking of economic priorities. Rather than focusing on endless expansion, degrowth advocates for scaling down production and consumption, particularly in wealthier countries. This doesn’t mean cutting back necessities but reducing wasteful practices and restructuring economies to focus on human and ecological well-being. This approach, they argue, could offer a pathway out of the exploitative cycles of green colonialism.
A Call for Systemic Change
“The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism” offers a sobering, complex perspective on what it takes to achieve a genuinely just and sustainable world. While green technologies are essential, the book cautions against simply replacing one form of extraction with another. It argues that without a fundamental shift in how we approach consumption, production, and our relationships with one another and the Earth, the transition to renewable energy may inadvertently reinforce the very inequalities it aims to dismantle.
The book does not dismiss the need for renewable energy or technological advances. Instead, it calls for a shift in the global approach to sustainability—one that includes reparations for ecological debts, empowers local communities, and respects the autonomy of nations in the Global South. The authors ultimately emphasize that achieving true environmental justice means not only addressing climate change but also the systems of power and profit that perpetuate inequality.
By the end, “The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism” challenges readers to think critically about the paths forward. It urges us to consider that a truly green transition will require more than new technologies; it demands an overhaul of the structures that prioritize economic growth over ecological and human health. In calling for a justice-centered approach to sustainability, the book invites readers to imagine—and work toward—a future that supports both the planet and its people.
Download a copy of “The Geopolitics of Green Colonialism: Global Justice and Ecosocial Transitions”