Energy, Capitalism and World Order

"This work is required reading for all political economists seeking ways to theorise the importance of energy and its connection to the future of the planet. It is a fundamentally important collection by established and up-and-coming scholars who develop thoughtful and nuanced critical political economy perspectives in order to interrogate the links between fossil fuel based capitalist development and questions of accumulation and sustainability in the 21st century. It is an understatement to say that the capital is fully invested in non-renewable sources of energy, and that capitalist market civilisation is grounded in energy intensive forms of production, consumption and distribution. This impressive collection emphatically shows how this situation must be changed." - Stephen Gill, York University, UK "The literature understanding climate change politics in relation to the dynamics of capitalism continues to grow apace. Di Muzio and Ovadia's book makes the excellent move of extending our understanding of this by exploring specifically how a global capitalist order is constraining and shaping the attempts to move our energy system beyond carbon, and conversely how that order is being remade by shifts in energy politics and economics. It shows the complexities and nuances of this process in great detail and in diverse contexts, as well as advancing how we understand theoretically and practically the relationship between energy and global capitalism in the context of various challenges to fossil fuel dominance, notably but not only from climate change. A must read for those interested global political economy and its biophysical underpinnings." - Matthew Paterson, University of Ottawa, Canada "International political economy has never fully engaged with the complex relations between energy and the reproduction of capitalism. Rather than focusing on the well-worn topics of energy security, geopolitics and resource wars, Energy, Capitalism and World Order brings together an outstanding cadre of critical political economists who provide a sophisticated and new accounting of carbon capitalism and its alternatives. A particular historical pattern of energy and capital produced a world order that is now running against strong headwinds of ecological and political economic crises: in short a crisis of social reproduction. Energy, Capitalism and World Order offers broad panoply of perspectives on the historical trajectory and contradictory character of this hydro-carbon assemblage, from ethanol to fracking to climate capitalism and emergent low-carbon transitions. A path breaking and innovative rendering of petro-market civilization and the prospects for a post-carbon age." - Michael Watts, University of California, USA "In an age of global warming, it is arguably only with books such as Energy, Capitalism and World Order that contemporary critical political economy seriously begins to pursue its self-proclaimed mission. Be that as it may, Energy, Capitalism and World Order offers highly recommended readings on issues that, given their salience, are very much under-researched." - Magnus Ryner, King's College London, UK

This original, timely and innovative collection is the first to offer critical IPE perspectives on the interconnections between energy, capitalism and the future of world order. The authors discuss the importance of energy for our understanding of the global political economy, climate change and key new developments like 'fracking'.

This original, timely and innovative collection is the first to offer critical IPE perspectives on the interconnections between energy, capitalism and the future of world order. The authors discuss the importance of energy for our understanding of the global political economy, climate change and key new developments like 'fracking'.