The Invisible Mine and Internal Extractivism: The Tangible Transition of Critical Raw Materials in Europe

How to interpret the contemporary return of mineral extraction in Europe and the Western world more broadly? Through the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), the European Commission frames this return as a necessity for the green development of European production, aimed at providing robust responses to the challenges posed by climate change. A political-ecological reading of this resurgence deconstructs such narratives by situating them within a broader perspective, revealing how this return aligns with European industrial policies focused on growth and competitiveness, while highlighting its inherent contradictions. This paper provides a political-ecological analysis of the overarching narrative justifying the return of the mining ecosystem and introduce two new conceptual notions necessary for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon: internal extractivism and double accumulation. Adopting the framework of political ecology and the aforementioned terminology, this study conducts a preliminary analysis of the debate surrounding the return of mining and domestic extractivism in Italy. An examination of the parliamentary hearings regarding the implementation of the CRMA reveals a perspective aligned with that of the European Commission. However, both the debate and this analysis remain in a nascent stage, as they do not yet incorporate the diverse claims and actors capable of offering alternative perspectives on Italian internal extractivism.