Environmental Accountability | Business Litigation | South America Introduction: Calama’s Hidden Toll When Decades of Dust and Drought Meet Legal Reckoning For over a century, Antofagasta’s vast copper mines have powered Chile’s growth—and driven global electrification. Yet beneath the towering open pits and conveyor belts lies a grim reality: Calama, the region’s
Tag: mining
One Lawyer, Many Fronts: Jingjing Zhang’s Global Legal War Against Polluting Giants
Environmental Laws | Business Litigation | Corporate Accountability Overview: Taking on China's Global Polluters When communities from Fujian to the farmlands of Guinea and Ecuador are poisoned by pollution, Jingjing Zhang is often right beside them—fighting back through the power of law. Dubbed “China’s Erin Brockovich,” Zhang has spent over two
Orano v. Niger: The New Frontier of Resource Nationalism
Natural Resources Law / Resource Nationalism / FDI The African mining sector remains a cornerstone of foreign direct investment (FDI), attracting major multinational companies due to the continent’s vast mineral wealth. However, recent geopolitical shifts, most notably in Niger, have exposed the growing legal and operational risks foreign companies face amid
Addressing Critical Minerals Production and Safeguarding Against Over-Exploitation
China has firmly established itself as the world's dominant force in the production and supply of critical minerals. These minerals include rare earth elements (REEs), cobalt, lithium, and other materials essential for modern technologies such as smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy systems, and military defense applications. With China controlling an
Accountability and Sovereignty: Legal Implications of Sourcing Conflict Minerals
In recent years, the global tech industry has come under increasing scrutiny for its reliance on minerals sourced from conflict zones. One of the most high-profile cases involves the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a country rich in natural resources but plagued by decades of conflict and instability, particularly in