"Blood on the floor:" The nickel commodity frontier and inter-capitalist competition under green extractivism
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Major companies in the mining industry are strategizing to benefit from the expected rise in demand for energy "transition minerals" that underpin current technologies of decarbonization (such as batteries and wind turbines). This article elucidates their current strategies of accumulation through the case of BHP, the world's largest mining company. We draw on political ecology and commodity frontier theory in order to grapple with inter-capitalist competition under the current moment of green extractivism by examining firm and state practices in the nickel commodity frontier. Empirically, we examine the changing role that nickel has played in BHP's asset portfolio during the past decade where it has attempted to significantly accumulate from the expansion of the nickel commodity frontier. Yet, despite this centering of the expansion of the nickel commodity frontier for its particular strategy of accumulation under green extractivism, it has so far been unsuccessful. Given this potential for failure of company practices in commodity frontiers, we argue that green extractivism should not always and everywhere be seen as a story foretold.
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Mining companies are seizing opportunities created by climate crisis to widen and deepen their control over new mineral frontiers.
“demonstrating that mining companies are seizing the 'opportunities' created by the climate crisis to 'widen' and 'deepen' their control over new mineral frontiers.”
From The political ecologies of "green" extractivism(s): An introduction (2024) · cites this paper as Barbesgaard and Whitmore (2024, this Section)
The Introduction and “Expansion through commodity widening” describe mining companies pursuing transition-mineral opportunities, including BHP expanding nickel exploration and bringing new mines into production. But the Concluding remarks say BHP has sought to, yet generally failed to, accumulate significantly through expansion of the nickel frontier. The claim overstates that attempted expansion as companies successfully widening and deepening their control over mineral frontiers generally. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredBHP has attempted and failed (until now) to benefit from rising demand for energy transition minerals.
“the authors trace how BHP has attempted and failed (until now) to benefit from the rising demand for energy 'transition minerals' that underpins current technologies for decarbonization”
From The political ecologies of "green" extractivism(s): An introduction (2024) · cites this paper as Barbesgaard and Whitmore (2024, this Section)
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Sorted by citations
The political ecologies of "green" extractivism(s): An introduction
Dunlap, A., Verweijen, J., & Tornel, C. (2024) · Journal of Political Ecology · doi:10.2458/jpe.6131 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
- Authors
- Barbesgaard, M., & Whitmore, A.
- Affiliations
- Lund University (SE)
- London Mining Network
- Corresponding author
- Barbesgaard, Mads
- ORCID
- Barbesgaard, Mads
- Venue
- Journal of Political Ecology
- Publisher
- University of Arizona
- Published
- 2024-05-22
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 1073-0451 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4399029376
- Cited by
- 5
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1
- FWCI
- 0.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Political Ecology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Building and Construction › Mining and Resource Management
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Extractivism and Socioeconomic Issues
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Economy and Marxism
- Keywords
- nickel, commodity frontiers, green extractivism, brake power, mining companies, energy transition minerals, accumulation strategies, political ecology, decarbonization, battery minerals, state-mining relations
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