Extracting Innovations : Mining, Energy, and Technological Change in the Digital Age

This book considers the most contemporary innovations propelling the extractive industries forward while also creating new environmental and social challenges. The socio-ecological fabric of innovation in the extractive industries is considered through an integrative approach that brings together engineers, natural scientists, and social scientists—academics and practitioners—giving an empirically grounded and realistic evaluation of the innovations in this sector. It synthesizes a series of questions including: Why have these sectors been historically slow to innovate? What specific strategies can improve innovation and uptake of new technologies? What new forms of technology will shape the sector in the decades ahead? What impact will new technologies have on resource extraction and energy production? How are digital technologies changing the competitive landscape and industry architecture? How will new technologies impact sustainability of the sector and can technologies improve social performance and environmental stewardship?