Recently, practices and discourses of extraction have received renewed interest, with “extractivism” being identified as the “dominant paradigm of contemporary capitalism” and neocolonialism (Mezzadra and Neilson 2017). Relatedly, the extraction (and subsequent combustion) of geological resources constitutes a major source of anthropogenic climate change, or, as Phillip John Usher puts it, “if we have stumbled into the Anthropocene [...], it is not only because we emit but first and foremost because we extract.” (2019) While several studies look at the cultural history of geology and extraction (Ziolkowski1990; Braungart 2009; Heringman 2004; Groves 2020), the underlying nexus between the formation of geology as scientific discipline and the consolidation of colonialism through practices of exploration and extraction has not yet received adequate attention. Looking at the interplay of 19th-century literary and non-literary texts in Hindi, Urdu, English, and German, the proposed paper focuses on the close interaction between literature and the formation of geological science in Germany on the one hand and indigenous forms of earthly and mineral knowledge in colonial India on the other. Both contexts are connected through a shared history of geological knowledge formation as well as through a common discourse of exploitation and extraction –be it from stones, minerals, and other earthly (re)sources or from native informants and the vocational knowledge of miners.

Climate science needs to integrate the traditional knowledge of local communities in the Africa and the Global South.Africa contributes least to, but suffers the most from the negative impacts of climate change. The industrialized countries often tend to unfairly blame the poor countries of the Global South for using natural resources in an unsustainable way; but most of these traditional societies have deeply entrenched ideas and practices about conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources because their livelihoods depend largely on the land and the stability of the ecosystem. The paper underscores the value and continuing relevance of indigenous knowledge for environmental protection and climate change adaptation. It argues that while Africa stands to gain from global science and international best practices, the continent should search within its own knowledge systems for appropriate ideas and approaches to many of its development challenges.Local communities in different parts of Africa have over the years developed intricate systems of forecasting weather systems in order to prevent and mitigate natural disasters; traditional techniques of soil management, pest and disease control, adopting suitable crop and animal varieties, and so on. The unprecedented scale of climate change today may have undermined thereliability of many traditional indicators for predicting the pattern of climate variability, and techniques for preventing and adapting to climate induced natural disasters. There is therefore a need for those who hold and use traditional knowledge to partner with scientists and other stakeholders in order to co-produce updated knowledge for better climate risk management. Researchers and the development community should tap into the vital and time-tested resource of indigenous knowledge for locally appropriate and culture-sensitive ways to engage with the environment, and adapt to the negative impacts of climate change.

Continuous pollution and degradation of the environment and its health implications in Nigeria have spanned over six decades of oil production. Due to oil spillages, pipeline leakages, well blowouts, and gas flaring etc, continuous pollution of thousands of square kilometres of territory including coastal breaches, estates, farmlands, towns and villages created a persistent environmental crisis with severe negative impacts on the land, water, water resources (like fish), micro-climate, and inhabitants of the oil bearing communities. Oil burrow pits dug for storing test samples and for other purposes damage the land and general scenery. The environmental crisis in turn created persistent health and other social challenges, especially among the inhabitants of the Niger Delta region. Stagnant water retained by burrow pits serve as breeding places for disease-carrying mosquitoes and other vectors. Gas flaring raises daily atmospheric temperature beyond normal. These and other pollutions have led to peculiar and persistent ailments including diarrhea, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and gastroenteritis, and other social problems. This paper contends that lack of effective regulatory policies and sanctions, which allows Global North oil companies to adopt environmentally hazardous production and waste disposal techniques, is largely responsible for the environmental and social crisis. This study is a critical historical investigation into the health, livelihoods, cuisine, and sustainability implications of decades-old oil extraction, production and gas flaring for Niger Delta inhabitants, communities and environment. The study concludes that critical indigenous interdisciplinary research-based regulatory policy formulation and effective implementation and sanctioning is a veritable remedy for the crisis.