Withdrawal Not Authorized
For centuries, mankind has been busy digging, shoveling, raking, sifting and prying loose everything we deem valuable from the earth. We have made brief pauses to catch our breath and then resumed to saw, cut, hovel, grind, drain, move, drill, slash, burn and scorch some more. When it´s all exhausted we pick up our gear and move on to the next place.
Extractivism is the transformation of natural resources into material gains. Historically the term has been applied to describe a colonial power´s extraction of raw materials from a conquered land, materials that are subsequently shipped out and processed for profit with slight or no return to the land where they were taken. A contemporary reading of the term suggests an even darker meaning: Extractivism is the operative part of our relationship to nature which is characterized by a systematic and increasingly desperate depletion of the planet´s resources. The true cost of our modus operandi extend far beyond the present, effectively leaving future generations to pick up the tab for today´s excess.
Climate change and escalating destruction of the environment has pushed itself to the forefront of our awareness horizon. It is the end product of a few hundred years of remarkable progress in terms of material wealth. With increased standards of living comes an increased need for escalating extraction of natural resources. Damage control in form of reduced emissions, carbon dioxide tax and focus on tech solutions is not enough. The needs of emerging economies will put additional strain on ecosystems that have been pushed to the breaking point by a ruthless capitalist economy. Within the present system of capitalism, the reduction of global poverty is hinged on increasing depletion of natural resources and a global mantra of business as usual.
In short, we thrive on resources stolen from future generations. We believe it is our divine right to sustain a manner of living that goes against the common welfare of all things living.
Withdrawal Not Authorized challenges the systematic undermining of the ecological, social, ethical and emotional foundation of our global society.
Withdrawal Not Authorized is a protest against forces that leave our lands, rivers, forests and oceans lifeless and barren; against the wasting of land in this here and now and for untold generations to come.