VIEWING GREEN EXTRACTIVISM THROUGH THE LENS OF REGIMES OF HISTORICITY. THE CASE OF WEDA BAY NICKEL IN INDONESIA (1994-2009)

Abstract

The term green extractivism has recently been used to describe initiatives to revive mining that are based on the desire to accelerate the energy transition. In this article, we propose a historiog-raphy of this notion by studying a recent example, the Indonesian nickel deposit in Weda Bay, from its discovery to the end of the exploration phase (1994-2009). Using the analytical framework of regimes of historicity, we document how green extractivism positions mining activities as inevitably recurring events that represent an urgent and immediate response to the coming ecological crisis. By historicizing green extractivism from the Weda Bay Nickel case, we highlight how the mining practices associated with it serve solely to deflect ecological criticism towards transformations that do not fundamentally call into question the logic of mining expansion.