Energy transition and the new shape of green colonialism

Abstract

This chapter tackles the issue of energy colonialism associated with the formation of a new ideology in capitalism, the ‘Decarbonisation Consensus’. This new consensus is a global agreement that advocates for a shift from a fossil fuel-based energy system to a carbon-free (or low-carbon) energy system based on ‘renewable’ energy. Its leitmotif is to fight global warming and the climate crisis by stimulating an energy transition driven by the electrification of consumption and digitalisation. However, instead of protecting the planet, it contributes to its destruction, deepens existing inequalities, exacerbates the exploitation of natural resources, and perpetuates the model of the commodification of Nature.

Topics & Concepts