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Unveiling Contradictions: The Green Energy Transition and Sámi Indigenous Rights in the Per Geijer Expansion, Kiruna, SwedenSvensson, Maria, Schmidt, Maria January 2023 (has links)
In recent decades, there has been a growing recognition of Indigenous rights over traditional territories and natural resources, alongside the intensification of extractive activities on Indigenous lands, often in violation of their rights.The paradox is driven by several factors, including escalating global commodity prices, energy security concerns, and the shift towards green energy. While Sweden has long been known for promoting human rights and environmental standards, the exploitation of rare earth metals in Kiruna has emerged as a significant priority on the Swedish political agenda. These metals are crucial for producing green energy technologies and advancing green energy transition in the country as well as Europe. However, mining rare earth metals in Kiruna raises concerns about the impact on the traditional ways of life of the Sámi Indigenous people, who rely on these territories for their survival and cultural identity. The Sámi people have a deep connection to the land and are greatly affected by environmental changes, including mining activities in their territories. This thesis aims to explore the role of the Sámi Indigenous people in the decision-making process of the Per Geijer expansion of Kiruna mine. Considering the significant priority given to advancing the green energy transition, a critical question arises whether the green energy transition is truly “green” if it requires sacrificing the cultural heritage of the Sámi Indigenous communities in the area. By employing various perspectives and drawing on environmental justice and interactive governance theories, this thesis aims to shed light on this complex intersection of mining, Indigenous rights, and the pursuit of sustainability, with a particular emphasis on the social sustainability implications.
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CSR, human rights abuse and sustainability report accountabilityEmeseh, Engobo, Songi, O. 30 November 2017 (has links)
No / CSR within a purely voluntary context has so far not made meaningful contributions to the problem of corporate environmental and human rights abuses in Africa. The paper therefore aims to improve the effectiveness of CSR in the continent by making companies accountable for the veracity of statements they have voluntarily put out in the public domain.
The paper adopts the stakeholder and legitimacy theories and information regulation as its framework of analysis. Following a discourse on the developments in and limitations of sustainability, the paper constructs an argument in line with these theories how these reports can still be utilised to make meaningful contribution towards strengthening CSR through accountability for false and misleading statements.
Corporations have a stake in information in sustainability reports with regard to their corporate image and reputation. Therefore, under the appropriate framework, utilising corporate accountability for false and misleading statements by companies has promise for making CSR more effective.
The main limitations of this research is the political will of national governments in Africa to undertake such an exercise and the relative ability of civil society groups in light of the power of corporations to effectively hold them to account through the models proposed.
The paper is interdisciplinary, drawing upon both management and legal theories. A significant contribution of this research is its pragmatic approach which goes beyond calling for legal platform for CSR by recommending a model for accountability within the existing voluntary CSR framework.
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Integrating records management into the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative in TanzaniaLyaruu, Titus Michael 01 1900 (has links)
Efficient records management is a founding block for successful transparency and accountability initiatives. Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) promotes transparency and
accountable management of extractive resources by disclosing governments’ and extractive companies' value chain information in resource-rich countries. Without proper management of
records, transparency and accountability in the extractive industry become difficult. This study sought to explore the integration of records management in the Tanzania Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (TEITI) with the view to develop a framework for incorporating records management in such an initiative. This qualitative case study anchored on the interpretivism research paradigm used the researcher’s conceptual framework as a theoretical lens. The study
sample was purposively selected from the public institutions involved in TEITI, namely, TEITI Committee and the Secretariat, Mining Commission, Records and Archives Management Department, Tanzania Revenue Authority, and Regional Mines Office Dodoma. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, observation, and analysis of documents.
The study established that Tanzania has a well-established archives and records management infrastructure. However, institutions involved in TEITI did not implement the infrastructure or developed in-house procedures to incorporate records management in the initiative. Also, the non involvement of various players of the extractive sector in TEITI resulting in silos approaches to the initiative was noted. In addition, the studied institutions do not plan for their records management activities, and the budgets to support records management activities are inadequate. Records management staff are also insufficient, and their competencies to manage records mining activities is limited.
The study concludes that because of the failure to integrate records management in TEITI, the initiative will not succeed in releasing its goal of bringing about transparency and accountability in the extractive sector in Tanzania until deliberate efforts are taken to incorporate records management as a critical component of the initiative. The study proposes a framework upon which the TEITI Committee, institutions and governments can apply to integrate records management in the EITI. Overall, the study bridges the gap of a missed inclusion of records management in the EITI initiative by proposing a framework. A further study on the underlying factors deterring the integration of records management in the organisational business process of institutions involved in TEITI is proposed. / Information Science / Ph. D. (Information Science)
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Politics below the Surface: A Political Ecology of Mineral Rights and Land Tenure Struggles in Appalachia and the AndesShade, Lindsay 01 January 2017 (has links)
This dissertation examines how confusion and lack of access to information about subsurface property rights facilitates the rapid acquisition of mineral rights by mining interests, leaving those who live 'above the surface' to contend with complicated corporate and bureaucratic apparatuses. The research focuses on the first proposed state-run large scale mining project in Ecuador, believed to contain copper ores, and on the natural gas hydrofracking industry in three counties in north central West Virginia. Qualitative and visual methods, including mapping, are employed to determine (i.) how the geography of subsurface ownership patterns is changing, (ii.) links between changes in subsurface ownership and surface ownership, and (iii.) how these changes are facilitated or impeded by institutional and governance practices.
Rights and permit acquisitions are facilitated by state institutions, which often have strategic interests in mineral development. Accordingly, this research also considers the role of state strategy with respect to the establishment, bureaucratic management, and enforcement of vertical territory, which reflects the state’s interest in and sovereign claim over subterranean resources to benefit the nation. The research finds that the historical separation of subsurface property rights from the surface is associated with a persistent weakening of surface holder claims to land in favor of mining development, and that this weakening has contributed to the long-term persistence of absentee ownership and control over land in Ecuador and West Virginia. Viewing subsurface land deals from the perspective of those whose lives are disrupted on the surface, I conclude from this work that mundane practices such as deed transfers and local micropolitics about land use are significant factors in the lead up to larger scale violences and silences, such as forced displacement and even political imprisonment of activists opposed to extraction.
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Extractive Violence on Indigenous Country : sami and Aboriginal Views on Conflicts and Power Relations with Extractive Industries / Extraktivt våld på urfolks marker : konflikter och maktrelationer mellan utvinningsindustrier och urfolk i Sverige och AustralienSehlin MacNeil, Kristina January 2017 (has links)
Asymmetrical conflicts and power relations between extractive industries and Indigenous groups often have devastating consequences for Indigenous peoples. Many Indigenous groups are struggling to maintain their lands as Indigenous perspectives on connection to Country are frequently undervalued or dismissed in favour of extractivist ideologies. While this conflicted interface has been researched in various parts of the world, studies exploring conflicts and power relations with extractive industries from Indigenous perspectives are few. This thesis is an international comparison aiming to illuminate situations of conflict and asymmetrical power relations caused by extractivism on Indigenous lands from new viewpoints. By drawing on two single case studies, the situations for Laevas reindeer herding Sami community in northern Sweden and Adnyamathanha Traditional Owners in South Australia are compared and contrasted. Yarning (a form of interviewing) is used as a method for data collection and in order to stay as true as possible to the research participants’ own words a number of direct quotes are used. The analysis employs peace researcher Johan Galtung’s concepts of cultural and structural violence as analytical tools to further explore the participants’ experiences of interactions with extractive industries and industrial proponents, including governments. In addition, the thesis introduces the concept of extractive violence as a complement to Galtung’s model. Extractive violence is defined as a form of direct violence against people and/or animals and nature caused by extractivism, which predominantly impacts peoples closely connected to land. The concepts of structural and cultural violence are understood as unjust societal structures and racist and discriminating attitudes respectively. A number of main themes could be identified in the research participants’ narratives. However, the most prominent on both continents was connections to Country and the threat that extractive violence posed to these connections. The results show that although the expressions of cultural, structural and extractive violence experienced by the two Indigenous communities varied, the impacts were strikingly similar. Both communities identified extractive violence, supported by structural and cultural violence, as threats to the continuation of their societies and entire cultures. Furthermore, the results suggest that in order to address violence against Indigenous peoples and achieve conflict transformation, Indigenous and decolonising perspectives should be heard and taken into account. / Konflikter och maktrelationer mellan utvinningsindustrier och urfolksgrupper får ofta förödande konsekvenser för urfolken. På grund av assymetriska maktförhållanden mellan urfolk och majoritetssamhällen som råder på de flesta ställen i världen utsätts många urfolk systematiskt för rättighetskränkningar. Många urfolksgrupper kämpar idag för att bevara sina marker eftersom urfolks perspektiv och kopplingar till marken ofta förminskas eller ignoreras när de står i motsättning till extraktiva ideologier. Även om extraktivism och påverkan på urfolk och urfolksgrupper varit fokus för tidigare studier saknas forskning som utgår från urfolkens perspektiv. Denna avhandling är en internationell jämförelse med syfte att, från nya synvinklar, belysa konfliktsituationer och asymmetriska maktrelationer som orsakats av extraktivism på urfolks marker. Avhandlingen jämför och kontrasterar två fallstudier som utförts med Laevas č earru (sameby) i norra Sverige och Adnyamathanha-folket i delstaten South Australia. I fallstudien som utförts tillsammans med Laevas č earru ingår en grupp av totalt sex forskningsdeltagare, fyra män och två kvinnor. Det var dock framför allt två forskningsdeltagare som intervjuades med anledning av den konfliktsituation mellan Laevas č earru och gruvbolaget LKAB, som står i fokus för artikel I i avhandlingen. I den australiska fallstudien, som utförts tillsammans med Adnyamathanha-folket, ingår en grupp av sju forskningsdeltagare bestående av fyra kvinnor och tre män. Denna studie, artikel II, behandlar Adnyamathanhafolkets kamp mot de australiska och sydaustraliska regeringarnas förslag om att inrätta kärnavfallsdepåer på Adnyamathanhas marker. För att inhämta material användes yarning (en typ av intervjumetod) och för att återge forskningsdeltagarnas ord så rättvisande möjligt inkluderades ett antal direktcitat i texterna. För att möjliggöra en mer djupgående analys av forskningsdeltagarnas upplevelser av konflikter med utvinningsindustrier och förespråkare för extraktivism, inklusive regeringar och stater, användes Johan Galtungs modell, känd som Galtungs våldstriangel, som analysverktyg. Galtungs modell innefattar strukturellt, kulturellt och direkt våld. Direkt våld definieras som fysiskt våld eller hot om fysiskt våld, strukturellt våld utgörs av orättvisa och diskriminerande samhällsstrukturer och kulturellt våld är de attityder som får det strukturella och således även det direkta våldet att te sig legitimt. Föreliggande avhandling introducerar även konceptet extraktivt våld som ett komplement till Galtungs modell där xvi det ersätter direkt våld. Jag definierar extraktivt våld som en typ av direkt våld mot människor och/eller djur och natur orsakat av extraktivism som framför allt påverkar människor med starka kopplingar till sina marker. Extraktivism förstås här som alla typer av aktiviteter som extraherar stora mängder av resurser från marker och människor, exempelvis gruvdrift, skogsbruk, fiske, lantbruk och turism. I forskningsdeltagarnas utsagor identifierades ett antal nyckelteman. Dessa teman uppvisade både likheter och skillnader beroende på deltagarnas olika situationer och förutsättningar. Det mest framträdande temat på båda kontinenterna var dock ”connection to Country” eller kopplingar till marken. Båda grupperna beskrev hur marken och deras förhållande till den innefattade historia, kunskap, traditioner och kultur. För Adnyamathanhagruppen var det mest centrala att rädda och bevara heliga platser som hotas av extraktivism och för Laevas č earru sågs renskötseln och bevarandet av markerna för renarnas skull som det mest väsentliga. Avhandlingens resultat visar att även om de former av kulturellt, strukturellt och extraktivt våld som forskningsdeltagarna upplevde varierade, var effekterna av våldet slående lika. Båda grupperna identifierade extraktivt våld, understött av strukturellt och kulturellt våld, som hot mot fortlevnaden av deras samhällen och kulturer. Resultaten pekar även på vikten av att urfolkens perspektiv inkluderas och blir hörda om konflikttransformering mellan utvinningsindustrier och urfolk ska kunna uppnås.
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Le régime juridique de l’accès aux réserves d’hydrocarbures, enjeux de la coopération entre Etats producteurs et investisseurs étrangers / Accessing hydrocarbon reserves, the legal and regulatory framework concerning cooperation between States and foreign investorsLebdioui, Amina 15 December 2017 (has links)
Lorsque l’Etat décide de l’exploration ou de l’exploitation de ses réserves d’hydrocarbures, il n’est soumis à aucune règle internationale quant aux modalités de mise en œuvre de cette décision. Cette absence d’obligations n’a pas empêché les Etats développer, au niveau national, des règles réduisant leur liberté quant à la sélection des opérateurs. Aux négociations secrètes qui ont longtemps prévalu dans le secteur pétrolier, se sont alors substituées des procédures de mise en concurrence ouvertes s’appuyant sur des critères objectifs. Ayant pour but d’attirer l’investissement étranger et de faciliter la conclusion des contrats, elles se sont progressivement généralisées et standardisées, tant dans leur formalisme que dans leurs conditions. On constate alors un processus d’uniformisation globale des conditions d’accès aux réserves, auquel les institutions financières internationales ont directement ou indirectement pris part. L’un des aspects cruciaux des procédures d’attribution des droits a trait au rôle de l’entreprise pétrolière nationale. Celle-ci dispose souvent d’un traitement préférentiel. Dans de nombreux Etats, elle a en outre été traditionnellement chargée de l’octroi des contrats, combinant ainsi des fonctions qui lui ont permis de devenir un acteur incontournable du secteur. La standardisation de ses attributions a également fait l’objet d’un processus de convergence internationale, qui modifie le rapport entre l’Etat et l’investisseur étranger. / When the State decides to undertake the exploration or exploitation of its hydrocarbons reserves, it is not subject to any international obligation concerning the implementations of such decision. This lack of obligations has not prevented states from developing rules at the national level to reduce their freedom in the selection of operators. The secret negotiations that have long prevailed in the petroleum sector have been replaced by more transparent and open competition procedures, backed by objective criteria. With the objective of attracting foreign investment and facilitating the process of conclusion of contracts, those procedures have been progressively generalized and standardized, both in their formalism and in their terms. We consequently observe a global standardization process of the terms of access to reserves, in which international financial institutions have been directly or indirectly involved.One of the essential aspects of the procedure of rights allocation relates to the role of the national oil company. It enjoys preferential treatment, which has implications on the modalities of participation of foreign firms. Furthermore, in several states, the national oil company has been responsible for granting petroleum contracts, thereby combining functions that render it a key actor in the sector. The standardization of its attributions has also undergone a process of international convergence, which alters the relation between the State and the foreign investor.
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La protection intégrée de l'environnement dans les zones d'exploitation pétrolière des pays d'Afrique subsaharienne : le cas de l'on-shore tchadien / The integrated environmental protection in the Oilfield Areas of Sub-Saharan African Countries : the Case of Chadian’s OnshoreBalaam, Konamadji Ngomdodji 21 March 2017 (has links)
Malgré l’enclavement du Tchad, le besoin de développement économique et social a conduit l’Etat à mettre en exploitation les gisements pétrolifères. Ces gisements étant ni « délocalisables », ni « déterritorilisables », leur exploitation dans un contexte on-shore, dans des milieux naturels et à vocation agropastorale pose des problèmes spécifiques que jusque-là le droit international et la plupart des systèmes juridiques des pays en développement peinent à saisir. Il s’agit notamment des problèmes liés à l’empreinte écologique et sociale des industries pétrolières on-shore. La prise en compte des préoccupations environnementales par le droit tchadien du pétrole est très embryonnaire et infime. Le droit tchadien de l’environnement et le droit foncier n’ont pas, non plus, pris en compte les risques liés à la recherche, l’exploitation et le transport par canalisation des hydrocarbures dans leurs dispositifs. Ils n’abordent pas aussi les problématiques relatives à la remise en l’état des sites pétroliers abandonnés ou en fin de vie. Dans un tel contexte, si le législateur ne procède pas à des reformes afin de prendre concomitamment en compte les opérations pétrolières et les préoccupations environnementales dans un dispositif juridique intégré, on risque d’assister à « un second Delta du Niger dans le bassin pétrolier de Doba ». / Despite the isolation of Chad, the need for economic and social development led the government of Chad to explore and produce oil reserves. As these deposits are neither "delocalizable or movable" nor "deteriorisable or destructible", their exploitation in onshore context and natural environments with breeding vocation raises specific problems that international law and most legal systems in developing countries have difficulties to overcome until now. These include issues related to the ecological and social’s footprint of onshore oil industries. The Chadian’s law related to oil is still tiny and is at its embryonic level therefore it doesn’t take into consideration detailed environmental concerns. Chad's environmental law and land’s law didn’t also take into account risks associated with the exploration, exploitation and transport by pipeline of hydrocarbons in their plans. They also didn’t address issues related to the restoration of abandoned or end-of-life’s oilfields. In this context, if the legislator does not carry out reforms in order to simultaneously take into account petroleum operations and environmental concerns in an integrated legal system, there is a risk of "a second Niger Delta in Doba’s oilfield".
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Le droit et l'espace souterrain. Enjeux de propriété et de souveraineté en droit international et comparé / The Law and the earth's subsurface. Property and Sovereignty issues in international Law and comparative Law / El derecho y el espacio subterraneo. Retos de propriedad y de soberania en Derecho internacional y comparadoReiche-De Vigan, Stéphanie 18 October 2016 (has links)
L’espace souterrain, qui s’étend depuis la surface des terres émergées et des fonds marins jusqu’au centre de la Terre, est délaissé par le droit international. Aucune règle de droit international positif ne vient réglementer l’utilisation que les Etats font de leur espace souterrain territorial, cette utilisation et le régime de la propriété souterraine faisant partie de leur domaine réservé. Si les normes internationales régissent l’utilisation de l’espace souterrain extra-territorial, celui des grands fonds marins et celui de l’Antarctique, elles n’appréhendent l’espace souterrain qu’en termes d’utilisation et de mise en valeur des ressources minérales. De ce régime juridique d’exploration et d’exploitation des ressources minérales dépend d’ailleurs le statut juridique de l’espace souterrain qui va de la pleine souveraineté de l’Etat côtier à l’exclusion de toute appropriation nationale ou individuelle. Devant la multiplication des utilisations souterraines et face aux dommages environnementaux et aux violations des droits de l’homme liés à certaines de ces utilisations, le droit international doit réinvestir l’espace souterrain et notamment le contenu et l’étendue des droits qui le concernent tant dans l’ordre interne qu’international afin d’en réglementer la mise en valeur et d’en assurer la protection. / Until today, there has been little interest of international Law concerning the earth’s subsurface, as the space that extends from the surface of the soil or of the seabed to the center of the earth. On the one hand, there is no rule of international law that regulates the use Sovereign States have of their territorial subsurface. It is currently understood that subsburface activities and property law that regulates them, are within domestic jurisdiction only and do not come under international law scrutinity as they waive the exercice of an absolute independance of States. On the other hand, the existing rules of international law that regulates extraterritorial subsurface, notably the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond national jurisdiction and the Antarctic, consider the earth’s subsurface mostly in terms of use and exploitation of mineral resources. Faced with the evergrowing uses of the subsurface that are solely used for extraction or for injection and storing, and regarding the impacts of some underground activities on the environment and on human rights, International Law must play a role by regulating the content and extent of rights that are exercised over the earth’s subsurface inside and outside territorial jurisdiction for development and protection purposes.
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“Accumulation by Dispossession” by the Global Extractive Industry: The Case of CanadaKinuthia, Wanyee 13 November 2013 (has links)
This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.
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“Accumulation by Dispossession” by the Global Extractive Industry: The Case of CanadaKinuthia, Wanyee January 2013 (has links)
This thesis draws on David Harvey’s concept of “accumulation by dispossession” and an international political economy (IPE) approach centred on the institutional arrangements and power structures that privilege certain actors and values, in order to critique current capitalist practices of primitive accumulation by the global corporate extractive industry. The thesis examines how accumulation by dispossession by the global extractive industry is facilitated by the “free entry” or “free mining” principle. It does so by focusing on Canada as a leader in the global extractive industry and the spread of this country’s mining laws to other countries – in other words, the transnationalisation of norms in the global extractive industry – so as to maintain a consistent and familiar operating environment for Canadian extractive companies. The transnationalisation of norms is further promoted by key international institutions such as the World Bank, which is also the world’s largest development lender and also plays a key role in shaping the regulations that govern natural resource extraction. The thesis briefly investigates some Canadian examples of resource extraction projects, in order to demonstrate the weaknesses of Canadian mining laws, particularly the lack of protection of landowners’ rights under the free entry system and the subsequent need for “free, prior and informed consent” (FPIC). The thesis also considers some of the challenges to the adoption and implementation of the right to FPIC. These challenges include embedded institutional structures like the free entry mining system, international political economy (IPE) as shaped by international institutions and powerful corporations, as well as concerns regarding ‘local’ power structures or the legitimacy of representatives of communities affected by extractive projects. The thesis concludes that in order for Canada to be truly recognized as a leader in the global extractive industry, it must establish legal norms domestically to ensure that Canadian mining companies and residents can be held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies abroad. The thesis also concludes that Canada needs to address underlying structural issues such as the free entry mining system and implement FPIC, in order to curb “accumulation by dispossession” by the extractive industry, both domestically and abroad.
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