Project Week 2024/25: Conflicts in Mining Critical Materials: Compromising in Sustainability Strategies

What it is about

You examine conflicts around the extraction of critical raw materials and explore how different stakeholders weigh decisions for sustainability. After the module you can analyze conflicts of interest in mining contexts, develop compromise strategies, and assess the impacts of decisions on the environment, society, and the economy.

What you will be able to do

• Understand decision processes in mining conflicts
• Evaluate environmental and social costs as well as economic benefits of mining
• Adopt the perspectives of different stakeholders (residents, producers, consumers)
• Identify conflicts and develop compromise strategies
• Apply methods for assessing and negotiating sustainability goals

What the module consists of

• Projektwoche / praktische EinheitenIntroduction to the topic, role plays and group work on decision making
• Exkursionen / Vor-Ort-BesucheVisit open-pit mines in Germany or Austria to experience real conflicts and practices
• Präsentationen und BerichteReflection of the role plays and presentation of group results

Teaching method

• RollenspieleEnable taking the perspectives of different stakeholders and make divergent interests tangible
• Interactive Multiobjective Optimization (iMO) ToolTest decisions to study alignment of interests and conflicts
• ExkursionenDirect experience of real practices and conflicts to ground reflection