Larger Systems: Economy, Environment, Technology

Where the Costs Stay: Scalar Injustice and the Global Pursuit of Clean Energy

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The urgency of the global pursuit of clean energy is beyond dispute. Yet what receives far less attention is how violently unequal the process of producing clean energy actually is, and how unevenly that inequality distributes across the globe. The supply chains that feed the green transition depend on the extraction of critical minerals sourced overwhelmingly from the Global South. At the commodity […]

Reflection Memo: Navigating the Complexities of the Clean Energy Era – Jose Fernando Gómez Rojas

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Based on the applied research we conduct at CREER, our proposal is founded on understanding the dilemmas related to various notions of justice within the framework of business activities in general. In particular, we aim to design methodologies and collaborative understanding frameworks for the identification of negative human rights impacts and the assignment of roles and responsibilities in […]

Reflection Memo: Navigating Complexity in the Clean Energy Era – Samuel George

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I was honored to participate in the Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs, University of Denver workshop Navigating the Complexities of the Clean Energy Era. As a documentary filmmaker with a series of pieces on critical mineral supply chains, I sincerely appreciated that my work was taken seriously in this academic community, and it was a pleasure to share what I […]

Reflection on Navigating the Complexities of the Clear Energy Era – Jessica DiCarlo

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Participating in the workshop Navigating the Complexities of the Clear Energy Era offered a much-needed opportunity to reflect on the ethical, political, and spatial dimensions of multiple facets of the global low-carbon transition. Through conversations with scholars and practitioners working in different regions, on different minerals and in various supply chain stages, we covered a wide range of issues, from governance to extractive industries themselves to community-level […]

Reflection on Navigating the Complexities of the Clean Energy Era – Workshop Facilitators

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At our workshop “Navigating the Complexities of the Clean Energy Era,” we convened a conversation examining the risks, opportunities, tradeoffs, and tensions shaping the global energy transition. This gathering was part of a broader initiative, funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, aimed at fostering more ethical and reflective approaches to research engagement. Central to this effort was the creation of a space […]

Passing judgement on organizations that offer me research consultancies ?

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Is it really my place as an academic researcher to pass judgement on organizations that offer me research consultancies in areas that align with my expertise? After all, my research is unbiased and well executed. Isn’t it better that I provide clients with sound academic research rather than turn down their work, which increases the […]

Political Economy Analysis with an International Organization

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I have been invited by an international organization to engage in a political economy / institutional analysis. I have limited specific expertise on the country in question — but considerable experience with such work in other countries in the region that could be helpful for comparative purposes. I think I could contribute important analytical perspective […]

Engaging With Policymakers

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The challenges: The background and policy setting: The goals of my policy engagement have been to learn: 1) why and how economic policy thinking, and practice shifts after crises and failures; 2) how institutions deal with evidence of the limits of their expertise, which are often made visible in the context of such crises; 3) […]

Engaging on the Creation of Cybersecurity Norms

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The challenge: How to advise on complex phenomena (creating cybersecurity norms) when the narrative surrounding them is oversimplified. The background and policy setting: Martha Finnemore is a noted expert on norms in international relations. Around 2010 she was enlisted to help develop norms around cybersecurity. Recognizing the difficulty of generating “harder” law or treaties in […]