Name: Queens’-CDS Distinguished Annual Lecture
Start: 2026-03-08T17:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-03-08T18:30:00+00:00
Location: Queens' College

$Queens\u2019-CDS Distinguished Annual Lecture$

Thea Riofrancos (Providence College) will deliver this lecture, titled 'Extraction - The Frontiers of Green Capitalism'.
About this Event

This Annual Lecture will take place in Fitzpatrick Hall, Queens' College.

In this lecture, Thea Riofrancos will unpack the challenges of the climate crisis through the lens of lithium, a so-called "critical mineral" essential for its role in decarbonizing one of the world's most polluting sectors: transportation. With Lithium as a focal point, Professor Riofrancos will cover the return of vertical integration, new state-corporate alliances and the environmental and Indigenous movements contesting the rapid expansion of mineral extraction. To conclude, Professor Riofrancos will explore the possibility of a less mining-intensive pathway to zero carbon transportation.

Thea Riofrancos is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Providence College, a Strategic Co-Director of the Climate and Community Institute, and a fellow at the Transnational Institute.