Can we envision Decarbonisation beyond extraction? Challenging claims of a ‘just' energy transition from the seabed

Giulia Champion

Applied Energy, 2026, vol. 402, issue PB, No S0306261925015880

Abstract: This paper provides a critique of contemporary neoliberal modes of ocean and natural resources governance in the context of a just energy transition, by asking how a “just” energy transition can take place beyond extractive practices. It does so by first setting up what is meant by “extractivism” and providing a brief colonial genealogy and history of the term. Then, building on this, the paper considers how current proposals to mine the deep seabed in international waters are being considered and regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). The paper focuses on this UN-mandated body whose aim to create a regulatory framework (also called the mining code) for deep-sea mining (DSM). The paper introduces the ISA and the current negotiations of the mining code, providing a brief overview of how the ISA and the code as well as of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This article claims that the ISA and UNCLOS are underpinned by the same colonial practices that pervade extractivism as a practice. It then focuses on unpacking one corporate stakeholder's discourse on DSM and how the language used by this company's social media is underpinned by a specific type of discourse recalling colonial practices and El Dorado narratives. The company was chosen given their legal involvement with the mining code negotiations. As these sections are set, the paper then asks whether it is possible to undertake a “just” energy transition if sourcing minerals for decarbonisation requires damaging forms of extraction. The paper concludes considering the circular economy, metal recycling and degrowth as possible pathways towardsenergy justice.

Keywords: Deep-Sea mining; Extractivism; Energy transition; Ocean justice; Energy justice; Environmental racism; Colonialism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126858

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