The Political Economy of Low Carbon Transformation

This book underlines the urgency for a low energy, low carbon transformation in the rich countries of the globe in order to reduce the severity of climate change. It uniquely brings an anthropological perspective to the understanding of the culture of expansive capitalism, giving attention to the formation of growth habits. The book fleshes out a theory of habit formation, drawing on examples from household energy use, transport and food. It reflects on the dilemmas in enabling pathways towards low energy habits, from reforming the politics of expansion to supporting bottom up initiatives that emphasize sharing and collaboration.