Thea Riofrancos
@triofrancos.bsky.social
Political Scientist, Providence College
Strategic Co-Director, Climate and Community Institute
Author / Resource Radicals (Duke UP 2020)
Co-Author / A Planet to Win (Verso 2019)
Forthcoming / Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (WW Norton)
Strategic Co-Director, Climate and Community Institute
Author / Resource Radicals (Duke UP 2020)
Co-Author / A Planet to Win (Verso 2019)
Forthcoming / Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (WW Norton)
I’m on @thedigradio.bsky.social. We talk about the intertwined histories of capitalism and extraction; the origins of OPEC & new geopolitics of supply chains; what I think about degrowth; green development in the Global South; green economic populism in US; Chinese industrial policy & much more
November 16, 2025 at 7:06 PM
I’m on @thedigradio.bsky.social. We talk about the intertwined histories of capitalism and extraction; the origins of OPEC & new geopolitics of supply chains; what I think about degrowth; green development in the Global South; green economic populism in US; Chinese industrial policy & much more
The US government has acquired stakes in a 3rd mining company, Trilogy Metals. The Trump admin now owns equity in rare earths (MP Materials), lithium (Lithium Americas), and copper (Trilogy). This "right-wing resource nationalism" derisks mining assets, inflates share values & deregulates governance
October 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
The US government has acquired stakes in a 3rd mining company, Trilogy Metals. The Trump admin now owns equity in rare earths (MP Materials), lithium (Lithium Americas), and copper (Trilogy). This "right-wing resource nationalism" derisks mining assets, inflates share values & deregulates governance
Thrilled to see this review of EXTRACTION by @scottwstern.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com. A very thorough essay that situates the book in broader debates about mining, the energy transition, the history of global capitalism, and the possible green futures ahead www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
October 2, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Thrilled to see this review of EXTRACTION by @scottwstern.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com. A very thorough essay that situates the book in broader debates about mining, the energy transition, the history of global capitalism, and the possible green futures ahead www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
It was a real intellectual challenge to answer @danieldsj.bsky.social interview questions for @thenation.com We discussed the contradiction of “green capitalism”, the history of efforts to transform global political economy, militant movements, Chinese industrial policy and more. Link below!
September 24, 2025 at 12:29 PM
It was a real intellectual challenge to answer @danieldsj.bsky.social interview questions for @thenation.com We discussed the contradiction of “green capitalism”, the history of efforts to transform global political economy, militant movements, Chinese industrial policy and more. Link below!
Today is publication day!
EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism is officially out with @wwnorton.com - find it at a bookstore near you or order online💚📚 wwnorton.com/books/978132...
EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism is officially out with @wwnorton.com - find it at a bookstore near you or order online💚📚 wwnorton.com/books/978132...
September 23, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Today is publication day!
EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism is officially out with @wwnorton.com - find it at a bookstore near you or order online💚📚 wwnorton.com/books/978132...
EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism is officially out with @wwnorton.com - find it at a bookstore near you or order online💚📚 wwnorton.com/books/978132...
‼️ Read an adapted excerpt from EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism in @nybooks.com ‼️
Extraction is officially published TOMORROW (9/23) 👀 www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Extraction is officially published TOMORROW (9/23) 👀 www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
September 22, 2025 at 1:08 PM
‼️ Read an adapted excerpt from EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism in @nybooks.com ‼️
Extraction is officially published TOMORROW (9/23) 👀 www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
Extraction is officially published TOMORROW (9/23) 👀 www.nybooks.com/online/2025/...
It was great to chat with @emilypont.bsky.social @heatmap.news about my book EXTRACTION. We discussed why mining is so conflictual, the power relations of extractive frontiers, how organized communities fare better & why we should use the public sector to proactively plan + govern. Link ⬇️
September 17, 2025 at 12:54 PM
It was great to chat with @emilypont.bsky.social @heatmap.news about my book EXTRACTION. We discussed why mining is so conflictual, the power relations of extractive frontiers, how organized communities fare better & why we should use the public sector to proactively plan + govern. Link ⬇️
To answer this question, we globally + holistically analyze green industrial policy, departing from the usual (1) methodological nationalism (2) narrow definitions of "green" (3) neglect of non-elite actors (4) promote a status-quo biased transition over system transformation (2/3)
September 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
To answer this question, we globally + holistically analyze green industrial policy, departing from the usual (1) methodological nationalism (2) narrow definitions of "green" (3) neglect of non-elite actors (4) promote a status-quo biased transition over system transformation (2/3)
In a world riven by inequality and devastated by climate + ecological crisis, what would it take for "green industrial policy" to empower the working class in Global North + South, and be truly green?
New @cplusc.bsky.social report by me and Isabel Estevez (1/3) t.co/78sQQe4d1g
New @cplusc.bsky.social report by me and Isabel Estevez (1/3) t.co/78sQQe4d1g
September 15, 2025 at 5:45 PM
In a world riven by inequality and devastated by climate + ecological crisis, what would it take for "green industrial policy" to empower the working class in Global North + South, and be truly green?
New @cplusc.bsky.social report by me and Isabel Estevez (1/3) t.co/78sQQe4d1g
New @cplusc.bsky.social report by me and Isabel Estevez (1/3) t.co/78sQQe4d1g
EXTRACTION is hitting the road this fall. Thrilled to be in conversation with @dharna.bsky.social @bentarnoff.com @dwallacewells.bsky.social @earthworks.bsky.social and others.
Stay tuned for more events in the winter and spring! @wwnorton.com
Stay tuned for more events in the winter and spring! @wwnorton.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:56 PM
EXTRACTION is hitting the road this fall. Thrilled to be in conversation with @dharna.bsky.social @bentarnoff.com @dwallacewells.bsky.social @earthworks.bsky.social and others.
Stay tuned for more events in the winter and spring! @wwnorton.com
Stay tuned for more events in the winter and spring! @wwnorton.com
I’m in @financialtimes.com on Trump’s recent move to make the Pentagon the top shareholder in the US only rare earths mine. This is the “worst of all worlds” resource nationalism: a toxic mix of environmental harm, militarism, Big Tech, financial de-risking, and asset appreciation. Link below ⬇️
September 3, 2025 at 3:37 PM
I’m in @financialtimes.com on Trump’s recent move to make the Pentagon the top shareholder in the US only rare earths mine. This is the “worst of all worlds” resource nationalism: a toxic mix of environmental harm, militarism, Big Tech, financial de-risking, and asset appreciation. Link below ⬇️
‼️ EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism will be out in the UK with Icon Books on 25 September ‼️
September 2, 2025 at 4:34 PM
‼️ EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism will be out in the UK with Icon Books on 25 September ‼️
🚨 My next book, EXTRACTION: THE FRONTIERS OF GREEN CAPITALISM is out 9/23 with @wwnorton.com
Today and tomorrow, you can pre-order it at 25% off 😊 Use code PREORDER25 at www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extraction...
Today and tomorrow, you can pre-order it at 25% off 😊 Use code PREORDER25 at www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extraction...
July 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM
🚨 My next book, EXTRACTION: THE FRONTIERS OF GREEN CAPITALISM is out 9/23 with @wwnorton.com
Today and tomorrow, you can pre-order it at 25% off 😊 Use code PREORDER25 at www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extraction...
Today and tomorrow, you can pre-order it at 25% off 😊 Use code PREORDER25 at www.barnesandnoble.com/w/extraction...
Zohran’s campaign was laser-focused on affordability. But take a closer look at the policy proposals and nearly all of them do double duty, targeting both cost of living crisis and climate crisis in one fell swoop.
This is “green abundance for the many” @batul.bsky.social @jacobinmag.bsky.social
This is “green abundance for the many” @batul.bsky.social @jacobinmag.bsky.social
June 25, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Zohran’s campaign was laser-focused on affordability. But take a closer look at the policy proposals and nearly all of them do double duty, targeting both cost of living crisis and climate crisis in one fell swoop.
This is “green abundance for the many” @batul.bsky.social @jacobinmag.bsky.social
This is “green abundance for the many” @batul.bsky.social @jacobinmag.bsky.social
Across the USA, the rent is too damn high. To meet the scale of the housing crisis we need to get creative with ownership, finance, and political coalitions. @cplusc.bsky.social new report explores Vienna’s social housing model and shows it lowers rents, reduces emissions + urban inequality
June 16, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Across the USA, the rent is too damn high. To meet the scale of the housing crisis we need to get creative with ownership, finance, and political coalitions. @cplusc.bsky.social new report explores Vienna’s social housing model and shows it lowers rents, reduces emissions + urban inequality
I had the pleasure of participating in this interview, EXTRACTIVISM, GREEN AND BROWN organized by @mbickhardt.bsky.social & @diagrammes-eng.bsky.social team. We covered a ton of ground historically, geographically, conceptually.
Video and the accompanying dossier: www.diagrammes.fr/en/folders/e...
Video and the accompanying dossier: www.diagrammes.fr/en/folders/e...
June 2, 2025 at 4:50 PM
I had the pleasure of participating in this interview, EXTRACTIVISM, GREEN AND BROWN organized by @mbickhardt.bsky.social & @diagrammes-eng.bsky.social team. We covered a ton of ground historically, geographically, conceptually.
Video and the accompanying dossier: www.diagrammes.fr/en/folders/e...
Video and the accompanying dossier: www.diagrammes.fr/en/folders/e...
🚨Responding to Trump’s tariffs, Chinese officials now restrict exports of rare earths and magnets.
In my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, I present two futures for critical minerals. These are simplified stylizations—but clarify the stakes of this trade war.
In my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, I present two futures for critical minerals. These are simplified stylizations—but clarify the stakes of this trade war.
April 13, 2025 at 8:08 PM
🚨Responding to Trump’s tariffs, Chinese officials now restrict exports of rare earths and magnets.
In my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, I present two futures for critical minerals. These are simplified stylizations—but clarify the stakes of this trade war.
In my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism, I present two futures for critical minerals. These are simplified stylizations—but clarify the stakes of this trade war.
With the usual caveat about my bias, there’s no podcast out there like @thedigradio.bsky.social. Fantastic episode featuring two of the best thinkers on global political economy @iliasalami.bsky.social @70sbachchan.bsky.social Appreciated the points of debate, esp on structure vs agency. Link below
March 22, 2025 at 7:02 PM
With the usual caveat about my bias, there’s no podcast out there like @thedigradio.bsky.social. Fantastic episode featuring two of the best thinkers on global political economy @iliasalami.bsky.social @70sbachchan.bsky.social Appreciated the points of debate, esp on structure vs agency. Link below
Trump just dropped his mineral Abundance Agenda:
Frames onerous regulations as threat to national security; expands “critical mineral”definition; expedites projects; orders federal lands prioritized for mining; directs more public financing for mining including resources abroad
Frames onerous regulations as threat to national security; expands “critical mineral”definition; expedites projects; orders federal lands prioritized for mining; directs more public financing for mining including resources abroad
March 20, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Trump just dropped his mineral Abundance Agenda:
Frames onerous regulations as threat to national security; expands “critical mineral”definition; expedites projects; orders federal lands prioritized for mining; directs more public financing for mining including resources abroad
Frames onerous regulations as threat to national security; expands “critical mineral”definition; expedites projects; orders federal lands prioritized for mining; directs more public financing for mining including resources abroad
The critical minerals consensus—i.e. that some raw materials are so essential that all tactics, including war, are justified to obtain them—is hegemonic. The results could be deadly.
This consensus shuts down debate: Critical for whom, obtained at whose expense? My latest in @financialtimes.com
This consensus shuts down debate: Critical for whom, obtained at whose expense? My latest in @financialtimes.com
March 12, 2025 at 7:05 PM
The critical minerals consensus—i.e. that some raw materials are so essential that all tactics, including war, are justified to obtain them—is hegemonic. The results could be deadly.
This consensus shuts down debate: Critical for whom, obtained at whose expense? My latest in @financialtimes.com
This consensus shuts down debate: Critical for whom, obtained at whose expense? My latest in @financialtimes.com
Preorder here and wherever books are sold! wwnorton.com/books/978132...
March 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Preorder here and wherever books are sold! wwnorton.com/books/978132...
I’m tremendously grateful to
@naomiaklein.bsky.social @adamtooze.bsky.social @isabellamweber.bsky.social Malcolm Harris, Jack E Davis, and JR McNeill for advance praise 🙏
@naomiaklein.bsky.social @adamtooze.bsky.social @isabellamweber.bsky.social Malcolm Harris, Jack E Davis, and JR McNeill for advance praise 🙏
March 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
I’m tremendously grateful to
@naomiaklein.bsky.social @adamtooze.bsky.social @isabellamweber.bsky.social Malcolm Harris, Jack E Davis, and JR McNeill for advance praise 🙏
@naomiaklein.bsky.social @adamtooze.bsky.social @isabellamweber.bsky.social Malcolm Harris, Jack E Davis, and JR McNeill for advance praise 🙏
Why are minerals so central to geopolitics? How green are electric cars? Why is anti-mining protest increasing? Can the inequalities of the global economy be transformed?
I tackle these topics in my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
👀 September 2025 @wwnorton.bsky.social
I tackle these topics in my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
👀 September 2025 @wwnorton.bsky.social
March 3, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Why are minerals so central to geopolitics? How green are electric cars? Why is anti-mining protest increasing? Can the inequalities of the global economy be transformed?
I tackle these topics in my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
👀 September 2025 @wwnorton.bsky.social
I tackle these topics in my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism
👀 September 2025 @wwnorton.bsky.social
Currently reading these two books, as well as /Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown/ by Andreas Malm and @wimcarton.bsky.social
Three very different texts, but quite complementary. @lidamaxwell.bsky.social
Three very different texts, but quite complementary. @lidamaxwell.bsky.social
February 15, 2025 at 9:17 PM
Currently reading these two books, as well as /Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown/ by Andreas Malm and @wimcarton.bsky.social
Three very different texts, but quite complementary. @lidamaxwell.bsky.social
Three very different texts, but quite complementary. @lidamaxwell.bsky.social
Today I submitted final copy edits on EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. The book is scheduled for release this September. I can't believe I conducted my first fieldwork trip for this 5 years ago, in January 2019.
Excited to share the cover, website, etc. soon!
Excited to share the cover, website, etc. soon!
January 29, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Today I submitted final copy edits on EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism. The book is scheduled for release this September. I can't believe I conducted my first fieldwork trip for this 5 years ago, in January 2019.
Excited to share the cover, website, etc. soon!
Excited to share the cover, website, etc. soon!