This article explores how natural resource extraction—framed as “progress” or “development”—drives socio-ecological destruction and contributes to the genocide-ecocide nexus. Drawing on case studies from Mexico (wind energy), Germany (coal), and Peru (copper), it highlights how land control is enforced through both violent and subtle forms of coercion via three key arguments. Firstly, genocide studies must include indigenous ontologies and nonhuman natures to challenge anthropocentrism. Secondly, extractivism targets specific sociocultural values, resisting simplistic identity narratives, and thirdly, socio-political positionality shapes how ecocide and genocide are recognized and opposed. Ultimately, the article calls for stronger engagement between genocide studies and political ecology to reveal how extractive development sustains today’s ecological and climate crises.