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Dear all,

This might be of interest to sociologists and others on this list. Apologies for cross postings.

I would like to invite abstracts for a session titled "Carbon Capitalism, Climate Capitalism, Energy Democracy", which I'm co-organizing for the ISA World Congress of Sociology that will take place in Toronto, Canada, July 15-21, 2018. Details are below.

The deadline for abstract susmission is September 30th. Abstracts need to be submitted online at: https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2018/webprogrampreliminary/Session8936.html

You can find more information about the conference here: http://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/world-congress/toronto-2018/

Please note that the session is under RC02 Economy and Society.

Also of potential interest to folks on this list, sessions for RC24 Environment and Society are listed here: https://isaconf.confex.com/isaconf/wc2018/webprogrampreliminary/Symposium461.html

Thanks,

jp

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Carbon Capitalism, Climate Capitalism, Energy Democracy

World Congress of Sociology, July 15-21, 2018, Toronto

Session organizers: Bill Carroll and J. P. Sapinski

Abstract

Although the scientific consensus on causes and implication of global warming is well established, the climate crisis has provoked three distinct political-economic projects, rooted in differing class fractions and social interests, which currently vie for hegemony at different levels and regions of the world-system. Carbon capitalism is a project of ‘business as usual’ (in the Stern report’s terminology), with efficiency improvements (and possible sunsetting of coal) but no major changes to the political ecology of contemporary capitalism. Climate capitalism proposes the ecological modernization of the energy base of capitalism, by redirecting flows of capital away from fossil fuels, and toward more climatically benign sources of energy including hydropower, solar, wind and nuclear. The first two projects are capital-centric: they leave the class structure of capitalism untouched, including the concentration of economic power in the hands of a relatively small group of major investors, executives and corporate directors. In contrast, energy democracy finds its social base in environmental and other progressive movements, including sections of the labour movement. It mandates a dual power shift, from fossil-fuel power to renewables (decarbonization) and from corporate oligarchy to public, democratic control of economic decisions (democratization). This session welcomes papers exploring the sociology of these projects, singly or in combination, especially analyses that foreground issues of political economy and political ecology.

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J.P. Sapinski
Post-doctoral fellow
Department of Sociology
University of Victoria, BC

Email: [log in to unmask]
uvic.academia.edu/JPSapinski
www.researchgate.net/profile/Jean_Philippe_Sapinski