As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, renewable energies are seen as the primary solution to the climate crisis. However, the mining of “critical” minerals required for this transition can be extremely harmful to people and the environment, and the impacts disproportionately burden Indigenous Peoples. An analysis found more than 75% of lithium, copper, and nickel reserves and resources in the U.S. are located within 35 miles of Native American reservations.
The term just transition refers to an equitable shift away from an extractive economy toward a resilient, regenerative economy. Without tribal consultation or meaningful environmental and health impact statements, mining for transition minerals perpetuates “green colonialism,” a form of exploitation framed as progress.
In the U.S., mining is the largest source of toxic releases, and toxic releases from mining in Alaska are higher than anywhere else in the country. Graphite One is a proposed graphite mine project along the Kigluaik Mountains, 30 miles north of Nome, Alaska. Graphite is an important material for the green transition, as it is an essential ingredient in lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and electricity storage.
Mining projects such as Graphite One pose serious threats, including toxic releases to the environment that can contaminate water and subsistence food sources. Current policies driving the green transition fail to protect tribes and other vulnerable communities from mining-related harms.
In this webinar, Adelaine Ahmasuk and Annika Krafcik will explore just transition principles and reasons for Indigenous and community-led opposition to the proposed Graphite One mine.
Featured Speakers
Adelaine Akłaasiaq Ahmasuk is Yup’ik, Iñupiaq, Norwegian, Irish, and German from western Alaska. As an Inuk living in rural Alaska, she has many roles throughout her community and family. As a mother, sister, daughter, and granddaughter, she centers much of her work in the value of relationship building, truth telling, and intersectionality. She has a background as a research assistant for climate-forced relocation, community development, language revitalization, Indigenous birthwork, suicide prevention, and wellness. She recognizes the work laid before her from previous generations and relations, and will continue in this walk for justice – “until she melts”.
Annika Krafcik is an attorney in Sitka, Alaska. She graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law in May 2024, with specializations in Environmental Law, Native Nations Law and Policy, and International and Comparative Law. Annika first became interested in Tribal efforts to oppose the Graphite One mine when she joined the Alaska Mining Impacts Network in 2023. In Fall 2024, Annika’s student comment, The Fight Against Graphite: What Tribal Opposition to a Mine in Alaska Teaches Us About Consultation in the Green Transition, was published in UCLA’s Journal of Environmental Law and Policy. This paper uses Tribal opposition to Graphite One as case study to better understand the legal obstacles for Tribes seeking to protect their subsistence resources and way of life in Alaska. The paper also proposes actions that Tribes and Tribal allies could take to bolster government-to-government consultation requirements, thereby slowing the development of harmful extractive industry in Alaska.
This webinar is hosted by the CHE-Alaska Partnership, which is coordinated by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT). Driven by a core belief in environmental justice, ACAT empowers communities to eliminate exposure to toxics through collaborative research, shared science, education, organizing, and advocacy.