Beyond Hot Air Webninar #5 Meaningful stakeholder engagement in resource extraction

The shift to a low-carbon economy, intertwined with the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, has placed new emphasis on meaningfully engaging affected groups when discussing natural resource extraction projects. But what does it mean to meaningfully engage peoples and communities impacted by resource extraction? In the Canadian context, some argue that meaningful engagement is about sharing risks and opportunities, with equity partnerships now serving as the new standard for working with Indigenous Nations. In other contexts such as Ghana, there is emphasis on community-benefit agreements and social responsibility interventions as a way to maintain a social licence to operate. No matter how meaningful engagement is defined, there is agreement that engagement cannot be meaningful if it does not involve the consent and participation of affected people (including stakeholders and rights holders) who should contribute to defining the parameters of meaningfulness itself. The webinar builds on the The "Routledge Handbook on Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement", which was edited by the webinar speakers Giuseppe Amatulli and Nathan Andrews, as well as Karin Buhmann and Alberto Fonseca. Speakers: Giuseppe Amatulli, University of Quebec (ENAP) & Nathan Andrews, McMaster University Moderator: Pamela Lesser, University of Lapland 28 May 2026 The research and network project 'Beyond Hot Air - Conversations around critical raw materials supply for the 'green' transition' is a sub-project to the ‘MinErAL – Knowledge Network on Mining Encounters and Indigenous Sustainable Livelihoods’ funded by SSHRC – Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and University of Graz, Austria Beyond Hot Air is a conversation. It is an international, transdisciplinary multi-stakeholder initiative that explores the complex landscape of critical raw materials (CRM) supply for the ‘green’ transition. Contact us - bha.powi@univie.ac.at Beyond Hot Air - miningbeyondhotair.org MinErAL - mineral.ulaval.ca