WATCH | Thea Riofrancos on the political ecology of the energy transition
As a featured speaker in the Brown Seminar Series on Environment and Society, Providence College's Thea Riofrancos examined the political ecology of the energy transition, drawing on extensive fieldwork and research across Latin America, the United States, and Europe.
Thea Riofrancos
Through case studies, Riofrancos traces the tensions embedded in “green” industrial projects and the democratic stakes of rapid mineral extraction.
How is the global shift to “green” energy reshaping land, labor, and political power? On February 20, political scientist Thea Riofrancos explored this question in a seminar drawing on fieldwork across Latin America, the United States, and Europe. She examined how lithium extraction—often seen as central to decarbonization—is transforming territories and livelihoods while raising questions about consent, sovereignty, and environmental justice.
The seminar was followed by a reception at Andrews House.