Dr. Yvette Baninla
My journey into mineral resource research began not with mines or metals, but with a question: why do some regions flourish while others remain constrained by the very resources meant to sustain them? This question guided my early research on the drivers of mineral production and consumption, using the IPAT model to analyze how population growth, affluence, and technology influence mineral resource use and environmental pressure. Over time, my work expanded to examine broader human impacts on the environment from mining and pollution to climate change adaptation linking these themes to the pursuit of sustainable development. While mining remains at the core of my research, my focus has increasingly shifted toward understanding how resource extraction interacts with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks. In this talk, I will trace the evolution of my research and reflect on an open question: am I a scientist, a mineral resource expert, an environmentalist, a sustainabilist, or a transitionist? The discussion invites reflection on how researchers redefine their identities as their work evolves in response to global sustainability challenges.
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Dr. Yvette Baninla
The University of Bamenda's Department of Geology, Mining, and Environmental Science
Dr. Yvette Baninla is a senior lecturer from Cameroon who works at the University of Bamenda's Department of Geology, Mining, and Environmental Science. She holds a BSc degree in Geography from the University of Yaoundé 1, Cameroon, an MSc in Natural Science (Marine Affairs), from Xiamen University, China, and a PhD in Environmental Science from the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), China. Dr. Baninla has been the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Chinese Government Scholarship (2013–2015), a fellowship from the World Academy of Sciences (2015–2019), and the Queen’s Postdoctoral Fund (2023–2025). From 2023 to 2024, she was appointed as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Queen’s University, where she taught multiple courses in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Her contributions to international research and policy engagement include serving as a lead author on the 2021 IRP–UNEP report “Governing Coastal Resources: Implications for a Sustainable Blue Economy.” She is also a Fellow of the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN) for the period 2025–2027, reflecting her growing influence in sustainability and policy dialogues across Africa. She also serves as one of the Expert Advisors to the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), providing guidance on Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Area Due Diligence, Upstream and Downstream Sustainability Due Diligence, Indigenous Peoples and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), and Climate Action. She is a Visiting Associate Professor at Hiroshima University (2024–2027) with a research grant investigating climate change adaptation strategies that promote—or fail to promote—peace. In addition, Dr. Baninla has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Current Research in Environmental Sustainability (CRUST) (2023–2025), where she contributed to advancing scholarly publications in the field. She also participates in the Climate-focused Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (CO-CAT) project, implemented by the Association of African Universities, which seeks to strengthen institutional capacity for climate adaptation research in Africa. Her research interests are broadly focused on global and regional patterns and drivers of mineral production and consumption, with a particular emphasis on the African context. She also investigates the progress of climate change adaptation and mitigation in Africa and its implications for peace and sustainability. Broadly, her work investigates sustainability and transition strategies as solutions to human-driven environmental crises in order to inform policies for a more just, peaceful, and sustainable future.
