Matea – Materials for the energy transition
15The Matea project – Matérialités de la transition énergétique, une approche multi-située des territoires de montagne (Materials of the energy transition, a multi-sited approach to mountain territories), questions the place of mountain territories in the production of globalized raw materials for the energy transition and in the production of renewable energies. Her fields of study are in South America and Australia.
![](https://labexittem.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/projet-recherche-matea-image-BD-e1677766082808.jpg)
The Matea project aims to take a fresh, critical look at the place of mountain territories in their participation in energy transitions. It will also seek to define the intrinsic values given to the territory: extractive and/or tourist and/or environmental.
Through a multidisciplinary approach, it proposes to question the materialities of transition in mountain territories through an analysis of :
– the development of extractive processes (raw materials and so-called renewable energies, i.e. solar and hydroelectric power) and associated infrastructures
– the place of mountain regions in national and global production systems
– values associated with mountain areas by local populations
Based on several study sites – the Atacama and Uyuni high plateaus (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia) and the Godlfields Esperance in the Stirling Range (Western Australia) – this project will take a fresh look at the materialities of transitions. A first line of research on the cultural and sensitive relationships between societies and mountain environments will shed light on possible definitions of the concept of transition. A second axis will examine the resources available and the socio-technical choices made during transitions, as well as the implications for the organization of the territories studied. A final section will analyze the global production networks of these resources.
Search Australie Chili Climate and ecological transitions Energy, mobility and environmental quality Natural areas, resources and biodiversity