Climate change poses a profound environmental challenge that will leave no country or community u... more Climate change poses a profound environmental challenge that will leave no country or community untouched. Its social impact, if unaddressed, will reinforce inequalities, deepen poverty and leave the world’s most marginalized populations in greater insecurity. Minorities and indigenous peoples are already living with its consequences, from rising sea levels and higher temperatures to increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as severe storms. Their isolation and exclusion in many countries leave them disproportionately exposed to these negative effects.
The focus of this thesis is the lithium-brine mining industries developing on three salt flats: t... more The focus of this thesis is the lithium-brine mining industries developing on three salt flats: two in Argentina (Salinas Grandes and Olarozi-Cauchari) and one in Bolivia (the Salar de Uyuni). In particular, I focus on the environmental human rights of indigenous communities living near the salt flats upon which the mines are located. At the heart of their rights is participation in decision-making over mining which is likely to affect them and their lives. This includes decisions made by mining companies and state authorities that will affect their environment, and the land they occupy and use for their traditional livelihoods, such as salt gathering and quinoa agriculture. To understand what is at stake, the thesis also examines the potential environmental impacts of lithium mining at scale in these regions, particularly in terms of water use and contamination. Lithium is a valuable commodity in the emerging low-carbon economy due to its increasing use in electric cars and renewab...
The Brazilian government, led for two consecutive terms by the socialist Partido Trabalhadores (W... more The Brazilian government, led for two consecutive terms by the socialist Partido Trabalhadores (Worker's Party), is enabling an overwhelmingly state-funded public–private partnership (PPP) to perpetrate human rights abuses against indigenous peoples and riparian communities in its Amazon region. This article considers the human cost of facilitating an explicitly neoliberal form of economic development for the benefit of large corporations – the primary vehicle through which states grow and develop their economies. It will also show how the world's second-largest transnational mining company, Brazilian Vale SA, undermines human rights and positive state obligations in Mozambique, in exploiting the coal reserves there. The article frames this complex scenario within the business and human rights discourse, with an emphasis on the political economy of human rights violations. It first defines the role of the corporation within neoliberalism, then assesses whether international human rights law is able to prevent corporate human rights violations, or violations of the rights of specially protected indigenous citizens. This article concludes that Brazil's economic development policy and the actions of its leading transnational corporation – due to extensive allegations of human rights violations at home and abroad – are inimical to the principles of truly sustainable development.
Climate change poses a profound environmental challenge that will leave no country or community u... more Climate change poses a profound environmental challenge that will leave no country or community untouched. Its social impact, if unaddressed, will reinforce inequalities, deepen poverty and leave the world’s most marginalized populations in greater insecurity. Minorities and indigenous peoples are already living with its consequences, from rising sea levels and higher temperatures to increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as severe storms. Their isolation and exclusion in many countries leave them disproportionately exposed to these negative effects.
The focus of this thesis is the lithium-brine mining industries developing on three salt flats: t... more The focus of this thesis is the lithium-brine mining industries developing on three salt flats: two in Argentina (Salinas Grandes and Olarozi-Cauchari) and one in Bolivia (the Salar de Uyuni). In particular, I focus on the environmental human rights of indigenous communities living near the salt flats upon which the mines are located. At the heart of their rights is participation in decision-making over mining which is likely to affect them and their lives. This includes decisions made by mining companies and state authorities that will affect their environment, and the land they occupy and use for their traditional livelihoods, such as salt gathering and quinoa agriculture. To understand what is at stake, the thesis also examines the potential environmental impacts of lithium mining at scale in these regions, particularly in terms of water use and contamination. Lithium is a valuable commodity in the emerging low-carbon economy due to its increasing use in electric cars and renewab...
The Brazilian government, led for two consecutive terms by the socialist Partido Trabalhadores (W... more The Brazilian government, led for two consecutive terms by the socialist Partido Trabalhadores (Worker's Party), is enabling an overwhelmingly state-funded public–private partnership (PPP) to perpetrate human rights abuses against indigenous peoples and riparian communities in its Amazon region. This article considers the human cost of facilitating an explicitly neoliberal form of economic development for the benefit of large corporations – the primary vehicle through which states grow and develop their economies. It will also show how the world's second-largest transnational mining company, Brazilian Vale SA, undermines human rights and positive state obligations in Mozambique, in exploiting the coal reserves there. The article frames this complex scenario within the business and human rights discourse, with an emphasis on the political economy of human rights violations. It first defines the role of the corporation within neoliberalism, then assesses whether international human rights law is able to prevent corporate human rights violations, or violations of the rights of specially protected indigenous citizens. This article concludes that Brazil's economic development policy and the actions of its leading transnational corporation – due to extensive allegations of human rights violations at home and abroad – are inimical to the principles of truly sustainable development.
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Papers by Helle Abelvik-Lawson