Founded by Professor Nick Bainton, the Extractive Systems Laboratory (XS Lab) is a hub to examine the planetary pressures and future trajectories of resource extraction in an overheated world.
We treat extraction as a deeply socio-technical and political system, situated within broader histories of colonialism.
The XS Lab prioritises co-designed and inter-disciplinary research that diagnoses the problems of extraction AND advances pathways for change.
Our goal is to make hope practical: imagining and enabling new forms of resource governance that promote systems change, prioritise social justice, ecological repair, and the collective right to a liveable planet.
Ongoing initiatives include:
- Free, Prior and Informed Consent and agreement-making in the global mining industry
- Indigenous data sovereignty and the Australian extractive industries
- First Nations rights in the scramble for critical minerals
- Socio-political and regulatory risks of seabed mining
- Dealing with “double exposure” to climate change and extractive capitalism
We collaborate widely across the ANU and with other Australian and international partners. Our members work alongside First Nations and Pacific communities, civil society, governments and industry actors.
The XS Lab bridges practice, theory and empirics to foreground community perspectives. We are committed to robust student learning and early career development, facilitating hands-on workshops, clinics, reading groups, and professional development.
If you are interested in collaborating or getting involved, please contact Nick Bainton (nick.bainton@anu.edu.au)
