
The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens Olivia Lazard: "Peace and Power in the Mineral Age"
16 snips
Feb 15, 2023 AI Snips
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Episode notes
Fieldwork Informs Theory
- Olivia Lazard recounts working in the Congo basin where communities described combined impacts of armed groups, extraction, and changing rains.
- She linked on-the-ground ecological destruction to conflict economies and later to rising demand for minerals like cobalt and lithium.
Minerals, Biodiversity, And Fragility Overlap
- Critical mineral deposits often overlap with fragile, biodiverse and climate-vulnerable regions.
- This overlap creates interlocking risks for conflict, environmental loss, and geopolitical tension.
Use Regeneration To Expand Cooperative Stakes
- Use regenerative practices to rebuild ecosystems while creating shared interests among conflict stakeholders.
- Sequence dialogues and practical projects so communities, governments, and armed actors cooperate on ecosystem stability.

