Editors' Introduction: Transition to a Low‐Energy Future

Abstract

Until the spring of 2020, it was possible for many people to picture the global economy as a well-oiled machine. Some of its flaws were well known-physical scientists have warned for decades that reliance on fossil fuels threatens the survival of our species, and social scientists increasingly see income and wealth inequality as threats to political stability. Yet corporate and political leaders projected continuing economic growth as both necessary and highly desirable. This faith in "business as usual" was echoed in mainstream media. Progress in communications, bioengineering, and nanotechnology promised a future in which human ingenuity could finally overcome the last barriers imposed by natural limits.Like the scratching sound of a needle on a phonograph record, the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly stopped the music. The fragility of a complex global supply chain was laid bare as never before. Economies around the world shrank dramatically, almost overnight, and formerly radical ideas were suddenly on the lips of national leaders and on the op-ed pages of prestigious newspapers. The tragedy that hundreds of thousands experienced in hospitals, and hundreds of millions faced as they struggled to pay rent or buy groceries, also called into question conventional wisdom about politics, economics, and ways of life.Regardless of what happens in the next year or two, it seems unlikely that we will return to the same world we left behind.Work on this collection of articles began almost a year before the pandemic, guided by the belief that "business as usual" cannot and will not continue for decades into the future. Our belief that major changes are coming is founded in two realities. First, our climate is increasingly unstable and will present increasingly severe challenges to human life even if we immediately embark on a rapid and sustained reduction of carbon emissions. (This reduction is something that, prior to the pandemic, we had never achieved in spite of the chorus of warnings from climatologists. Even at the height of the pandemic,

Oil Cities in Africa: Beyond Just Transition

“…In this new society, the scale of drilling oil can be significantly reduced. Here is one strong basis for a “transition to a low‐energy future” (Kreps and Cobb 2020: 617). Similarly, commoning urban land would enable the development of greater public and social housing and transport, curb sprawl, gentrification, and put an end to the excessive reliance on private automobiles, motorcycle taxis called okada , and the chain of private fuel stations that keeps the wheels of accumulation turning (Obeng‐Odoom 2021).…”