Thomas Reuter - Is extractivism at the heart of existential threats to the world?

This month we are delighted to be in conversation with Thomas Reuter, a Professor at the Asia Institute of The University of Melbourne. His research focuses on transformative social change, food systems, and transitions to sustainability in Asia and beyond. He is on the board of the World Academy (WAAS) and serves as the Chair of the Existential Threats and Risks to All InfoHub (EXTRA) . In this conversation we learned about Thomas’ academic development and how he got interested in extractivism as a concept. Thomas has worked extensively in Indonesia, especially looking at the food systems and the devastating effects of plantation agriculture. Thomas gives us some insight into the enduring colonial legacy in modern extractivist ventures. We started the conversation learning about the changes in Indonesia over the past several decades, from the dominance of subsistence agriculture to “modern” monocultural agriculture. The knock-on effects from this “development” extend to land use, health, labor relations, and the rise of cash economies, among many others. We discussed the role of consumption and our societal values and their environmental impact. Join us for this wide-ranging and insightful conversation!! Want to learn more about Thomas’s academic work and engagement? See: His ResearchGate Profile and His LinkedIn Want to learn more about his work at the World Academy? Check out the EXTRA website . Want to check out the webinar co-hosted by EXTRA and EXALT, “Is Extractivism a Prime Cause of the Polycrisis?” You can find it on the EXTRA YouTube channel .

You can listen to Thomas Reuter - Is extractivism at the heart of existential threats to the world? online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Thomas Reuter - Is extractivism at the heart of existential threats to the world? is an episode from EXALT Podcast by EXALT Initiative.

This episode is 01:04:56 long.

This episode was published on Feb 27, 2026.

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