Ecological neocolonialism: extractivism as colony

---

The new face of conquest

If in the 16th century empires followed gold and silver, today history repeats itself with other names: oil, gas, lithium, coltan, forests, and water . The plunder did not end with independence; it transformed into extractivism , an economic model in which countries of the Global South surrender their natural resources in exchange for promises of development that almost never materialize.

Brazilian environmentalist Chico Mendes , murdered in 1988 for defending the Amazon, said it bluntly:

“At first I thought I was fighting to save the trees, then I realized I was fighting to save humanity.”

The Amazon: the lungs for sale

Brazil is the epicenter of this tragedy. The Amazon, considered the "lungs of the planet," is being deforested at an alarming rate to make way for soy monocultures, cattle ranching, and illegal mining. According to official data, millions of hectares disappear every year to fire and chainsaws.

The indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire , a Kayapó reference, warned:

“The rainforest is not just ours, it belongs to the whole world. If they destroy it, there will be no life for anyone.”

Peru: gold and oil, wealth that impoverishes

In Peru, Amazonian communities like those in Loreto and Madre de Dios suffer the consequences of illegal gold mining and oil exploitation. Rivers contaminated with mercury and constant spills show how "wealth" leaves behind a trail of poverty and disease.

Ruth Buendía , the Awajún leader and Goldman Prize winner, expressed it this way:

“When you defend the river, you are not only defending the water, you are defending the lives of those who will come after you.”

Africa: endless mineral plunder

In Mozambique, foreign companies are clearing fertile land for eucalyptus and sugarcane monocultures, displacing entire communities. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, coltan —an essential mineral for manufacturing cell phones and computers—is mined under inhumane conditions while foreign corporations control the business.

The Congolese revolutionary Patrice Lumumba had anticipated it in 1960:

“Colonialism never dies a natural death. It reinvents itself under new masks.”

Indonesia: threatened rainforests and oceans

In Indonesia, one of the world's most biodiverse countries, rainforests are being cleared to plant oil palm, the raw material for products we consume every day in the West. The sea, polluted by plastics and industrial waste, is leaving fishing communities without a livelihood.

The Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer summed it up:

“Colonialism destroys the land, but it also destroys the memory of peoples.”

Philosophy of green plunder

Extractivism is not just an economic model: it is a form of modern colonialism. Under the pretext of needing to “grow” or “compete in the global economy,” countries of the Global South are forced to hand over their raw resources while the processed products are bought back at much higher prices.

The Ecuadorian thinker Eduardo Galeano captured it in his book, Open Veins of Latin America :

“Our wealth has always generated our poverty to fuel the prosperity of others.”

Conclusion:

The history of extractivism is the history of endless plunder. Today it has an “ecological” face, disguised as progress and development, but it remains a form of colonialism. While the Amazon, the Congo, and the rainforests of Indonesia bleed, what is at stake is not only the future of those countries, but the future of all humanity.

Glossary:

Coltan — A black metallic mineral (a mixture of columbite and tantalite) essential for manufacturing electronic components for mobile phones and computers. Its extraction in the Congo is linked to the financing of armed conflicts and extreme labor exploitation.

Extractivism — An economic model based on the massive extraction of natural resources (oil, minerals, intensive agriculture) destined for export, with little industrial processing in the country of origin and a high environmental impact.

Mercury —A highly toxic heavy metal used in illegal gold mining to separate the metal from rock and sediment. Its use irreversibly contaminates Amazonian rivers and poisons the food chain of local communities.

Monoculture — An agricultural practice that dedicates vast tracts of land to the exclusive production of a single plant species (such as soybeans, eucalyptus, or oil palm). Example: Industrial plantations that displace native forests and deplete soil nutrients.

Oil palm — A tropical crop from which palm oil is extracted, a ubiquitous ingredient in the Western food and cosmetics industries. The text identifies it as the main cause of deforestation in Indonesia.

Global South — A geopolitical concept encompassing developing countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. It is used to define nations that, despite possessing natural resources, suffer the consequences of global economic inequality and neocolonialism.