Description
By (author) Timothy Mitchell; By (author) Mitchell Timothy
Short /annotation:
How oil undermines democracy, and our ability to address the environmental crisis.
:
Carbon Democracy provides a unique examination of the relationship between oil and democracy. Interweaving the history of energy, political analysis, and economic theory, Mitchell targets conventional wisdom regarding energy and governance. Emphasizing how oil and democracy have intermixed, he argues that while coal provided the impetus for mass democracy, the shift to oil drastically limited democratic possibility; above all, the ability to confront contemporary ecological crises.
Review quote:
A challenging, sophisticated, and important book.
Review quote:
Carbon Democracy is a sweeping overview of the relationship between fossil fuels and political institutions from the industrial revolution to the Arab Spring, which adds layers of depth and complexity to the accounts of how resource wealth and economic development are linked.
Review quote:
This study of the basis of modern democracy over the past century connects oil-producing states of the Middle East with industrial democracies of the West. Mitchell argues that carbon democracy in the West has been based on the assumption that unlimited oil will produce endless economic growth, and he concludes that this model cannot survive the exhaustion of these fuels and associated climate change. Tim Mitchell has written a remarkable book that deserves a wide audience.
Review quote:
It”s a book that tackles a really big subject, in a sweeping but readable fashion, and after reading it, it”s hard to imagine thinking about political power the same way again … This book utterly blew me away.
Biographical note:
Timothy Mitchell teaches at Columbia University. His books include Colonising Egypt, Rule of Experts, and Carbon Democracy.
Promotional headline:
How oil undermines democracy, and our ability to address the environmental crisis
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