Noxious deindustrialisation and extractivism: Quintero-Puchuncaví in the international division of labour and noxiousness

This article examines the paradox of ‘noxious deindustrialisation’ – employment deindustrialisation in areas where significantly noxious industries are still operating – in the context of an extractivist economy in the Global South. Analysing the copper-centred industrial area of Quintero-Puchuncaví (Chile), we argue that a key element shaping patterns of local noxious deindustrialisation is the mode of insertion of the affected area in the international division of labour and noxiousness. The latter refers to the global socioecological hierarchy constituted by interconnected differentials in technological capabilities, wage levels, and environmental degradation. In countries marked by extractivism, the simple closure of polluting industries deepens the dependence of their economies on rent-bearing primary product exports, while the permanence of such industries often results in the perpetuation of ‘sacrifice zones’, where communities are exposed to severe noxiousness while receiving only meagre benefits in return. In our view, tackling the ecological crisis requires a more balanced international division of labour, as a step towards decommodifying production and nature. Without transformations in this direction, the current attempts at an energy transition risk provoking an unsustainable deepening of extractivism and inequality.