Best Extractivism Podcasts (2026)

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#No.29 Extractivism, Emissions and the Reality Behind COP30- A Conversation with Lynda Sullivan 42:52

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10d ago42:52

42:52

In this episode of the Save Our Sperrins Podcast, I’m joined again by writer and activist Lynda Sullivan, fresh from COP30 in Brazil. Lynda spent just one day inside the official Blue Zone, focusing instead on the People’s Summit and the global gatherings organised by Yes to Life, No to Mining, alongside thematic forums examining the mining and ext…

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Saving Balkhash: Kazakhstan's largest lake under threat from extractivism and climate change 40:43

15d ago40:43

40:43

Lake Balkhash is the 14th largest lake in the world and one of the largest in Asia. Its ecological importance is matched by the number of threats it has been facing for decades: copper mining, hydropower, agricultural development – and now a nuclear power plant. How to reach local communities and experts, scientists and policy-makers, cultural inst…

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CIRAN Podcast: Extractivism and the Green Transition 46:16

21d ago46:16

46:16

The final episode of the CIRAN podcast “Reconciling Two Societal Needs: Resource Extraction and Nature Conservation” features political scientist Thea Riofrancos, whose work focuses on resource extraction, climate change, green transitions and the global lithium sector. Drawing on her book Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, she analyses…

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#No.30 At the Turning of the Year: A 2025 Round-Up 16:06

6d ago16:06

16:06

End of Year Round-Up: 2025 | Save Our Sperrins In this special end-of-year episode, Save Our Sperrins looks back over a pivotal year in the campaign to protect the Sperrin Mountains from gold mining. From the suspension of the Public Inquiry in January, through moments of international solidarity, creative resistance and legal challenge, to the rel…

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Tom Royer - How do the earth and space exist in a continuum of sustainability (or unsustainability)? 53:03

12d ago53:03

53:03

This month we were delighted to be joined by Tom Royer who is a Visiting Researcher at the Arctic Centre and a Doctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Law at University of Lapland. Tom’s work revolves around commercial space ports in the arctic from a more-than-human perspective. This work combines critical legal studies, multispecies justice, and ex…

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PLANTS ARE POLITICAL on the Sweetness of Watermelon and Prickly Pear S1:3 19:11

13d ago19:11

19:11

“Connection to the land and knowing the plants that surround you and knowing what food your ancestor ate and trying to go back there is probably one of the most important things that we can do as resistance today.” - Aya Gazawi Faour In For The Wild’s series in collaboration with Olive Oddessey, we hear from their co-founder, Aya Gazawi Faour, who …

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#No.28 One Landscape, One Fight: Cross-Border Resistance to Fracking & Mining 1:12:37

17d ago1:12:37

1:12:37

In this episode, we sit down with two men who helped shape one of the most remarkable grassroots movements on the island of Ireland: the cross-border resistance to fracking along the Leitrim–Fermanagh border. Back in 2012, when few understood the scale of the threat, farmers, families and community organisers began to join the dots between their we…

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PLANTS ARE POLITICAL on the Flavor of Za'atar S1:2 30:08

20d ago30:08

30:08

“If you don't forage for Za’atar, how are you going to feel connected to the land? How are you going to understand what your ancestors have been doing for thousands of years here?” - Aya Gazawi Faour In For The Wild’s series in collaboration with Olive Odyssey, we hear from Aya Gazawi Faour, their co-founder, who shares about plants indigenous to t…

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#No.27 Raised by the Hills – A Conversation with Kelan Grant 54:39

24d ago54:39

54:39

This week’s podcast features Kelan Grant, a successful professional mountain biker — and a childhood friend of my own children, with family ties that stretch back over forty-five years. Kelan has been on bikes almost since he could walk. He grew up in Knockmoyle, at the edge of the Sperrins, and now lives and races professionally out of Morzine in …

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PLANTS ARE POLITICAL on the Lifeway of Olive Trees S1:1 39:15

30d ago39:15

39:15

“The moment people are disconnected from their land and from the plants around them, it's easier to control them because they don't feel the spiritual connection to the land.” —Aya Gazawi Faour, Olive Odyssey Co-Founder In For The Wild’s new series in collaboration with Olive Odyssey, we hear from their co-founder, Aya Gazawi Faour, who shares abou…

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#No.26 Business, Human Rights and the Battle for Accountability a Conversation with Chris O Connell Trócaire . 1:05:17

1M ago1:05:17

1:05:17

Chris O’Connell, Trócaire In this episode of Protecting the Sperrins – Voices from the Frontline, Marella Fyffe speaks with Chris O’Connell, Senior Policy Advisor at Trócaire, about the growing global movement for a UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights. From decades of work across the Global South, Chris brings a deep understanding of how deregul…

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CIRAN Podcast: NIMBYsm and Challenges to Democracy 29:11

1M ago29:11

29:11

Economist and former Secretary General of the Norwegian Mineral Industry, Elisabeth Gammelsæter, discusses how local “Not In My Backyard” reactions influence decisions on mining, energy projects, and critical raw materials across Europe. Drawing on her book Not in My Neighborhood: Why NIMBY Cases Challenge Norwegian Democracy, she explains that loc…

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#No.25 How Small Food Producers Strengthen a Rural Economy: Dart Mountain Cheese 1:03:55

1M ago1:03:55

1:03:55

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Julie from Dart Mountain Cheese, an artisan cheesemaking company rooted deep in the foothills of the Sperrins. What begins as a story about cheese quickly becomes something much bigger: a conversation about place, sustainability, and how to build a meaningful livelihood in a rural landscape often written off …

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Sabaheta Ramcilović-Suominen - How can radical intraconnectedness help address the global polycrisis? 50:13

1M ago50:13

50:13

This month we are delighted to have a conversation with Sabaheta Ramcilović-Suominen, who is an Associate Professor in International Forest Policy and Governance at the Natural Resources Institute, Finland (LUKE). Saba talks to us about her contributions to the recently published, open access book, Socioecological Transformations: Linking Ontologie…

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CIRAN Podcast: Public Perception of Mining 36:35

1M ago36:35

36:35

How can mining companies build trust and accountability? Aimee Boulanger discusses the evolving expectations of communities, investors, and consumers, and how transparency, environmental stewardship, and fair benefit-sharing can redefine mining’s role in society. Insightful examples show how responsible mining can be a force for good.…

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#No.24 UK Critical Minerals Strategy 2035: What It Means for Communities and the Environment 9:27

1M ago9:27

9:27

In this bonus episode, I dig into the UK’s newly published Critical Minerals Strategy 2035 — a document dressed up as environmental responsibility, yet rooted in the same extractive logic that has driven ecological breakdown for decades. Behind its polished language lies a blueprint for expanded mining, weakened planning protections and a deeper en…

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#No.23 Dr Steven H. Emerman – The Science of Failure: Truth, Risk, and Responsibility 1:21:17

2M ago1:21:17

1:21:17

In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Steven H. Emerman, hydrologist, geophysicist, and one of the world’s leading independent experts on mine tailings storage facilities. Dr Emerman brings decades of research and international experience to a conversation that cuts through technical jargon and gets to the heart of what’s at stake in the Dalradia…

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#No.22 Mining the Truth: A Conversation with Lynda Sullivan 51:02

2M ago51:02

51:02

Lynda Sullivan has spent years working with communities affected by mining, from the Andes to the Sperrins. She speaks about how Ireland became a “green sacrifice zone”, the myth of mining as a climate solution, and what happens when governments trade nature for profit. Her work with CAIM and the Yes to Life, No to Mining network connects local str…

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From Central Asia to the Amazon: preparing for COP30 28:47

2M ago28:47

28:47

Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. Already today, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are facing various climate consequences: from droughts to landslides, from glacier melts to flash floods. At the same time, this region's energy landscape contains almost all energy sources from…

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#No.21 Butterlope Farm – A Different Kind of Progress 57:11

2M ago57:11

57:11

In this episode, we visit Butterlope Farm near Plumbridge, in the heart of the Sperrin Mountains, where Annie and Vincent Mullan have built a life rooted in care — for land, people, and community. Annie, with her background in environmental education, and Vincent, a lifelong farmer, have created a social farm that shows how upland farming can be bo…

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CIRAN Podcast: Europe's Industrial Competitiveness 22:21

2M ago22:21

22:21

Mika Riipi discusses how political pressures, public acceptance, and sustainability goals intersect in shaping Europe’s mining future. He reflects on the role of the Critical Raw Materials Act, local governance, and regional innovation in maintaining Europe’s global industrial competitiveness in a resource-constrained world.…

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#No.20 From the Sperrins to COP 30: Dr Lorna Gold on Caring for Creation 43:50

2M ago43:50

43:50

In this episode, Marella speaks with Dr Lorna Gold, Executive Director of the Laudato Si’ Movement — a global network inspired by Pope Francis’s call to care for our common home. From her long experience in climate justice and faith-based environmental work, Lorna brings insight into how moral and spiritual leadership can shape our collective respo…

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Georgia de Leeuw - How can psychoanalysis explain the Seductiveness of Extractivism and Techno-solutionism? 50:39

2M ago50:39

50:39

This month we are honored to be joined by Georgia de Leeuw who is a post-doctoral researcher in Human Rights Studies at Lund University. Georgia’s research has focused on Swedish mining and steel transition, in which steel is produced with hydrogen instead of coal. We start the conversation talking about Swedish exceptionalism and what this means i…

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# No 19. Sacred Sperrins Living Land :A Conversation with Kerry McCory 53:01

2M ago53:01

53:01

In this episode, I speak with Kerry McCrory, who lives in Coneyglen in the heart of the Sperrins. Through her holistic practice, Kerry helps people reconnect with balance, colour, and the deeper rhythms of nature — but over the years, her care for human well-being has become inseparable from her care for the land itself - through her opposition to …

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ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on The Art That Reclaims Us S1:4 56:53

3M ago56:53

56:53

ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on The Art That Reclaims Us S1:4 In this resounding end to our Illuminating Worldviews series, Ayana speaks with artists Dr. Aubyn O’Grady and Jackie Olson about collective art and creative processes. Aubyn and Jackie share about their work on The Willow Basket Project at the Yukon School of Visual Arts and explore the ways …

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CIRAN Podcast: Nature Conservation and Mining 23:44

3M ago23:44

23:44

Can mining and nature coexist? Estonian ecologist Leelo Kukk brings a conservationist’s lens to the discussion, highlighting the need for strict environmental regulations, robust impact assessments, and increased recycling before opening new mines. A thought-provoking look at how we can protect biodiversity while meeting material demands.…

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From coal to clean? Renewable energy pioneers in Central Asia 43:56

3M ago43:56

43:56

Central Asia is among the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. And while some of the Central Asian countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, there is potential for renewable energy across this entire part of the world. Let's have a closer look at electricity today. Who are the main drivers of the energy transition? Is cross-borde…

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#No.18 Frontlines of Justice:James Orr on Power, Place and the Politics of Extraction 1:16:30

3M ago1:16:30

1:16:30

In this conversation, James Orr — Director of Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland — joins us to reflect on decades of environmental work, solidarity, and vision for change. From his long-standing support for the Save Our Sperrins campaign to his calls for an independent environmental agency and a just settlement for Lough Neagh, James brings a ra…

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ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on AI and Courting the Otherwise S1:3 1:00:00

3M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on AI and Courting the Otherwise S1:3 How might we face the end? Continuing our Illuminating Worldviews series, Vanessa Andreotti and Ayana delve into questions of what it means to live well during this fractured end of modernity. How can we best visualize the systems that have brought us to this point, and how might we brin…

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#No.17Divided by Gold, Rooted in Place: Emma Conway on Family, Land and Belonging 52:26

3M ago52:26

52:26

In this conversation, Marella speaks with Emma Conway, founder of Sperrin Soul Forest School — a mother, educator, and member of an extended local family whose differing views on the goldmine mirror the wider divisions playing out across this rural community While parts of Emma’s family have engaged with Dalradian, others, including Emma herself, h…

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ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on Land, Language, and Love S1:2 58:06

3M ago58:06

58:06

Continuing our Illuminating Worldviews series, we hear from X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell in conversation with Guná Jensen exploring the vital work of Tlingít language revitalization. Together, they reflect on the deep emotional resonance of speaking in one’s ancestral language, and how this practice opens an anti-colonial lens in which to see and feel t…

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#No.16 Hope is a Luxury, Resistance is Intergenerational – Gerry McGovern Speaks Out 58:25

3M ago58:25

58:25

What happens when the drive for endless growth leaves nothing but waste behind? Gerry McGovern, author of the After the Goldrush podcast , joins me to explore how mining — and the mindset that fuels it — mirrors the same destructive patterns we see in the digital world. Our conversation looks at what it means for communities like ours in the Sperri…

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ILLUMINATING WORLDVIEWS on Emotional Competency S1:1 59:58

3M ago59:58

59:58

Over the past months, For The Wild has journeyed to the Yukon in partnership with Illuminating Worldviews. Illuminating Worldviews is a space for examining the worldviews in which we find ourselves and to learn how they actively shape the material realities of our lives. This project, rooted and colored by the land of the Yukon invites questioning,…

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#No. 15 Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg : Language, Community and Courage 52:11

3M ago52:11

52:11

In this episode I speak with Sinéad Ní Mhearnóg Uí Ghéibheannaigh, a young mother, poet, and advocate for the Irish language from ConyGlen near Greencastle. Sinéad works with Glór na nGael, supporting communities to keep the language alive, and has long been a passionate voice in the Save Our Sperrins campaign. We talk about her roots in the Sperri…

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Markus Kröger - What path dependencies determine if a forest is Clearcut? (Clearcut book discussion) 59:51

3M ago59:51

59:51

(UPDATE: Open access book out now! Link below) This month we are delighted to be joined by Markus Kröger, professor of Global Development Studies at University of Helsinki. Markus has joined the show before as a founder of the EXALT Initiative and as a PI in the Trees for Development project. This time Markus is here to talk to us about his new boo…

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#No.14 Law, Land, and Justice: Dr Amy Strecker on the Sperrins 37:04

4M ago37:04

37:04

In this episode, I speak with Dr Amy Strecker, Associate Professor at the Sutherland School of Law in UCD and one of the volunteer expert witnesses supporting the Public Inquiry into goldmining in the Sperrins. Amy brings her expertise in land law, justice, and cultural landscapes, helping us understand how law can both protect and endanger communi…

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#No.13 Council Stands with the People, Not Dalradian 5:50

4M ago5:50

5:50

This update brings you inside the Council chamber as Fermanagh and Omagh District Council refused Dalradian’s latest attempts to delay site restoration until 2025. From explosive claims that their works are “miniscule” to councillors openly admitting unfamiliarity with the site, it was a meeting that laid bare the contradictions and the politics ar…

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#No.12 Dancing with the Earth: Mary McGuiggan on Rights of Nature and Connection 43:05

4M ago43:05

43:05

In this episode, I sit down with Mary McGuiggan — A Derry woman, retired primary school teacher, renowned Irish dancer and dance teacher, activist, mother, grandmother, and Gaelic speaker are just some of her many talents . Mary has been at the heart of building the Rights of Nature campaign in Northern Ireland and is one of the founders of The Gat…

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CIRAN Podcast: Social Responsibility and Community Engagement 21:31

4M ago21:31

21:31

What does meaningful community engagement really look like? Emily Ritchey shares insights into how mining companies can earn trust, respect local cultures, and ensure long-term social acceptance. Drawing from best practices and regulatory frameworks, this episode examines why social responsibility is no longer optional but essential.…

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Of trolleybuses and mountains: struggling for clean air in Kyrgyzstan and community empowerment in Tajikistan 57:51

4M ago57:51

57:51

Today, we are introducing you to two people at the forefront of activism and resistance to very concrete environmental issues in their home countries, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Boris talks to Bermet Borubaeva, urban environment analyst, artist and founder of the initiative #BishkekSmog, on her struggle for clean air in the Kyrgyz capital, the pres…

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#No.11 Hard-Earned Wisdom from Navan: A Conversation with Nuala and Mairéad Heaney 1:23:37

4M ago1:23:37

1:23:37

What is it really like to live beside a mine? In this episode of the Save Our Sperrins Podcast – Voices from the Frontline, we hear from sisters Nuala and Mairéad Heaney of Navan, County Meath. Their family home sits in the shadow of the Randalstown tailings dam — a toxic reservoir that has grown stage by stage since the late 1970s. For communities…

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#No.10 From Greencastle to the Council: Emmet McAleer on Speaking Truth to Power 53:35

4M ago53:35

53:35

From community halls to the council chamber, Emmet McAleer carried the voice of the Sperrins into local government. Here he reflects on that journey. In 2019, Emmet made history when he was elected to the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council on a single issue: stopping the goldmine. Against the odds, he unseated a sitting SDLP councillor and became…

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Nikolai Siimes - How do microbes view the world? 50:47

4M ago50:47

50:47

This week we had the pleasure to be joined by Nikolai Siimes, who is a more than human geographer at Waipapa Taumata Rau/The University of Auckland. In addition to his academic research, he has worked for almost a decade in the wine sector in different capacities. He describes his PhD as an ethnography of wine, which uses wine as a case to follow m…