International corporations in extractive industries such as mining and oil production are overwhelming linked to environmental conflicts in low- and middle-income countries.
Over 100 companies, largely headquartered in wealthy Western nations and China, are involved in 20 percent of documented conflicts, such as social disputes over mines, pipelines or power plants, according to a study published in the journal Global Environmental Change. The companies include Shell, Exxon Mobil and Rio Tinto.
The analysis examined more than 3,300 environmental conflicts worldwide and 5,500 companies listed in the Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, a database of disputes over resources such as water, land and minerals.
Half of the conflicts linked to companies in the so-called Global North occur in the Global South, where corporations involved in commodities such as critical minerals, oil and plantation agriculture account for a larger presence than other companies. Social conflicts involving foreign companies often lead to damaging outcomes, such as land dispossession, loss of livelihoods and deforestation, the analysis found.
