CCSI and the Earth Institute Fellows hosted Professor Saleem Ali (Chair in Sustainable Resource Development at the University of Queensland and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont) for a discussion on extraction of mineral resources and sustainable development.
Extraction of mineral resources have often been framed in environmental discourse as inherently unsustainable. This presentation considered how a more complex understanding of mineral linkage to sustainability is needed in international environmental policy, given their need for renewable energy technologies. The presentation considered the role of partnerships between natural and social scientists in better grappling with extractive industries research and practice and was also presented recently as a keynote before the German government’s annual Raw Materials Conference in Berlin.
Professor Saleem H. Ali holds the Chair in Sustainable Resource Development at the University of Queensland, Australia and is also Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont (USA), where he founded the Institute for Environmental Diplomacy and Security. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of natural resource conflicts and how ecological factors can promote peace. His awards include a Young Global Leader citation by the World Economic Forum and an Emerging Explorer award from the National Geographic Society. Professor Ali received his doctorate from MIT, his Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Yale University and his Bachelors in Chemistry (summa cum laude) from Tufts University.
