Thea Riofrancos
@triofrancos.bsky.social
17K followers 420 following 320 posts
Political Scientist, Providence College Strategic Co-Director, Climate and Community Institute Author / Resource Radicals (Duke UP 2020) Co-Author / A Planet to Win (Verso 2019) Forthcoming / Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (WW Norton)
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
Pinned
triofrancos.bsky.social
Why are minerals so central to geopolitics? How green are electric cars? Why is anti-mining protest increasing? Can the inequalities of the global economy be transformed?

I tackle these topics in my book EXTRACTION: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism

👀 September 2025 @wwnorton.bsky.social
triofrancos.bsky.social
The US government has acquired stakes in a 3rd mining company, Trilogy Metals. The Trump admin now owns equity in rare earths (MP Materials), lithium (Lithium Americas), and copper (Trilogy). This "right-wing resource nationalism" derisks mining assets, inflates share values & deregulates governance
triofrancos.bsky.social
The feeling is mutual Rosie !! Thank you so much. Glad you enjoyed this
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
rosiecollington.bsky.social
At this point I am just a @triofrancos.bsky.social superfan & wanna recommend everything she’s doing but I particularly enjoyed this interview with @jathansadowski.com & @edwardongwesojr.com on all things extraction, stranded renewables assets, China, & much more 🫡
open.spotify.com/episode/4kfb...
425. The Oxymorons of Green Capitalism (ft. Thea Riofrancos)
open.spotify.com
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
ali-alkhatib.com
finally listening to this and really liking the discussion and @triofrancos.bsky.social's call to simultaneously see AI for the bubble/hype/bullshit but also study the stuff that is there, eg the data centers (and, my commentary here: the political and state power mobilizing for it in manifest ways)
jathansadowski.com
In the new TMK, @triofrancos.bsky.social joins us to discuss the about the many frontiers, tensions, and futures of green capitalism. We go deep into the political economy of lithium and the material infrastructures of extraction. Thea is so sharp and this is such a great conversation.
425. The Oxymorons of Green Capitalism (ft. Thea Riofrancos)
We are joined by Thea Riofrancos — author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism — to chat about the many frontiers, tensions, and futures of green capitalism. How do we understand a system
soundcloud.com
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
theatlantic.com
Simply replacing fossil-fuel extraction with critical-mineral mining is no way out of the climate crisis, Thea Riofrancos argues in her new book. Scott W. Stern on “Extraction”:
There Is No Green Transition Without Consequences
A new book argues that simply replacing fossil-fuel extraction with critical-mineral mining is no way out of the climate crisis.
bit.ly
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
cassiopeiaknits.bsky.social
Enlightening incl continuities under Trump to Biden and inconsistencies under Trump
391 / Extraction / Thea Riofrancos
open.spotify.com
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
guybrod.bsky.social
So excited to read extraction!! Been following the authors of A Planet To Win since a fun reading group that went over it and think it remains some of the best writing about why a green new deal, or broadly just climate policy that works for people and workers, is the way out of our current crises.
triofrancos.bsky.social
Thrilled to see this review of EXTRACTION by @scottwstern.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com. A very thorough essay that situates the book in broader debates about mining, the energy transition, the history of global capitalism, and the possible green futures ahead www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
marisakabas.bsky.social
“They had a big, 15-inch chainsaw with round blade on it, cutting this fence down. We're under siege. We're being invaded by our own military."

The worst of what we feared when Trump’s spending bill gave ICE a blank check is happening.
ICE agents raid South Shore apartments; Trump says Chicago could become military training ground
ICE agents raided a South Shore apartment building overnight as the city braces for a possible military deployment.
abc7chicago.com
triofrancos.bsky.social
Thrilled to see this review of EXTRACTION by @scottwstern.bsky.social in @theatlantic.com. A very thorough essay that situates the book in broader debates about mining, the energy transition, the history of global capitalism, and the possible green futures ahead www.theatlantic.com/books/2025/1...
triofrancos.bsky.social
Scott, beyond being glad to hear you liked the book, I am honored with the care you have taken in this review, which I see you deeply situated in broader debates around extraction and the energy transition. I can't wait to read it and share further thoughts.
Reposted by Thea Riofrancos
thebaffler.com
Writing about the climate crisis can tend toward abstraction or comforting techno-optimism. “Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism” does anything but. @materialistjew.bsky.social talks with @triofrancos.bsky.social about the knotty problem of the energy transition.
Schrodinger’s Element | Ajay Singh Chaudhary
In her new book, Thea Riofrancos homes in on the extraction of lithium—and the thorny problem of an ecologically sound energy transition
thebaffler.com