Audiobook12 hours
Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil
Written by Timothy Mitchell
Narrated by Liam Gerrard
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
()
About this audiobook
Oil is a curse, it is often said, that condemns the countries producing it to an existence defined by war, corruption, and enormous inequality. Carbon Democracy tells a more complex story, arguing that no nation escapes the political consequences of our collective dependence on oil. It shapes the body politic both in regions such as the Middle East, which rely upon revenues from oil production, and in the places that have the greatest demand for energy.
Coal was a source of energy so open to disruption that oligarchies in the West became vulnerable to mass demands for democracy. In the mid-twentieth century, however, the development of cheap and abundant energy from oil offered a means to reduce this vulnerability to democratic pressures. The abundance of oil made it possible to reorganize political life around the management of something now called "the economy". The politics of the West became dependent on an undemocratic Middle East.
In the twenty-first century, the oil-based forms of modern democratic politics have become unsustainable. Foreign intervention and military rule are faltering in the Middle East, while governments everywhere appear incapable of addressing the crises that threaten to end the age of carbon democracy-the disappearance of cheap energy and the carbon-fueled collapse of the ecological order.
Coal was a source of energy so open to disruption that oligarchies in the West became vulnerable to mass demands for democracy. In the mid-twentieth century, however, the development of cheap and abundant energy from oil offered a means to reduce this vulnerability to democratic pressures. The abundance of oil made it possible to reorganize political life around the management of something now called "the economy". The politics of the West became dependent on an undemocratic Middle East.
In the twenty-first century, the oil-based forms of modern democratic politics have become unsustainable. Foreign intervention and military rule are faltering in the Middle East, while governments everywhere appear incapable of addressing the crises that threaten to end the age of carbon democracy-the disappearance of cheap energy and the carbon-fueled collapse of the ecological order.
Related to Carbon Democracy
Related audiobooks
The Anti-Oligarchy Constitution: Reconstructing the Economic Foundations of American Democracy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Wealth of a Nation: A History of Trade Politics in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Capitalism, Alone: The Future of the System That Rules the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership through Soft Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Captured Economy: How the Powerful Enrich Themselves, Slow Down Growth, and Increase Inequality Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Finance Curse: How Global Finance Is Making Us All Poorer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Economic Weapon: The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThey Called It Peace: Worlds of Imperial Violence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWinter in America: A Cultural History of Neoliberalism, from the Sixties to the Reagan Revolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Going Big: FDR's Legacy, Biden's New Deal, and the Struggle to Save Democracy Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Inequality of Wealth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5They're Not Listening: How The Elites Created the Nationalist Populist Revolution Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Astrotopia: The Dangerous Religion of the Corporate Space Race Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Transaction Man: The Rise of the Deal and the Decline of the American Dream Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Job: The Untold Story of America's Worker Centers and the New Fight for Wages, Dignity, and Health Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Next Shift: The Fall of Industry and the Rise of Health Care in Rust Belt America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The American Dream Is Not Dead: But Populism Could Kill It Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Conquest of Bread (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConfronting Capitalism: How the World Works and How to Change It Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Public Option: How to Expand Freedom, Increase Opportunity, and Promote Equality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Country Capitalism: How Corporations from the American South Remade Our Economy and the Planet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meatpacking America: How Migration, Work, and Faith Unite and Divide the Heartland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOvercoming Capitalism: Strategy for the Working Class in the 21st Century Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStates of Neglect: How Red-State Leaders Have Failed Their Citizens and Undermined America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Industries For You
All The Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mind Your Mindset: The Science That Shows Success Starts with Your Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All You Need to Know About the Music Business: 11th Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPharma: Greed, Lies, and the Poisoning of America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Burn Book: A Tech Love Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Disney's Land Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of "The View" Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sam Walton: Made in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Artpreneur: The Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Sustainable Living From Your Creativity Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump, and the Battle for American Democracy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5NFTs Are a Scam / NFTs Are the Future: The Early Years: 2020-2023 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Star Wars Conquered the Universe: The Past, Present, and Future of a Multibillion Dollar Franchise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellence Wins: A No-Nonsense Guide to Becoming the Best in a World of Compromise Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lego Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World’s Imagination Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs to Make Entertainment History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Secret Formula: The Inside Story of How Coca-Cola Became the Best-Known Brand in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Setting the Table Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Carbon Democracy
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings
0 ratings0 reviews