

391 / Extraction / Thea Riofrancos
Sep 29, 2025
01:07:41
Thea Riofrancos joined me to discuss her new book, Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, released through W.W. Norton.
The green capitalist energy transition is underway. In what ways does alternative energy—so-called sustainable or green energy—differ from the fossil fuel extraction, distribution, and consumption that has underlain the global capitalist system since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution? Where are these sites of extraction? What critical minerals are being sought? Who stands to benefit and lose? What are the ecological impacts? And finally, how have various iterations of the left and the right embraced or rejected this emerging paradigm?
// Episode notes: https://www.lastborninthewilderness.com/episodes/thea-riofrancos
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