Elements of power: Material-political entanglements in Australia's fossil fuel hegemony

IF 3 2区社会学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Environment and Planning. E, Nature and Space Pub Date : 2023-02-27 DOI:10.1177/25148486231159305

O. Hamilton, D. Nyberg, V. Bowden

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Abstract

Anthropocentric climate change presents an existential threat through impacts such as rising sea levels, effects on agricultural crops and extreme weather events. However, governments, businesses and communities struggle to wean off fossil fuel dependency. In this article, we argue that this is due to the grip of fossil fuel hegemony. To explain this grip, we draw on the theoretical perspectives of new materialism to examine how fossil fuels and politics interact in upholding Australia's fossil fuel regime. Our analysis, based on 70 qualitative interviews conducted with politicians and political advisors, fossil fuel executives and experts and environmental activists, shows three processes – establishment, entrenchment and encroachment – through which political-material entanglements lock in a fossil fuel-based future. These processes are both discursive, with politicians and industry downplaying, if not outright denying, the climate emergency and material, with investment in new mines and infrastructure even while the negative ecological impacts of fossil fuel use gather pace.

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权力要素:澳大利亚化石燃料霸权中的物质政治纠葛

以人类为中心的气候变化通过海平面上升、对农作物的影响和极端天气事件等影响，对人类生存构成威胁。然而，政府、企业和社区都在努力摆脱对化石燃料的依赖。在本文中，我们认为这是由于化石燃料霸权的控制。为了解释这种控制，我们利用新唯物主义的理论观点来研究化石燃料和政治在维护澳大利亚化石燃料制度方面是如何相互作用的。我们的分析基于对政治家和政治顾问、化石燃料高管、专家和环境活动家进行的70次定性访谈，显示了三个过程——建立、巩固和侵蚀——通过这些过程，政治与物质的纠缠锁定了以化石燃料为基础的未来。这些过程都是空谈式的，政治家和工业界即使没有完全否认，也在淡化气候紧急情况和物质，投资新矿山和基础设施，即使化石燃料的使用对生态的负面影响正在加快。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Environment and Planning. E, Nature and Space Multiple-

CiteScore

6.00

自引率

13.80%

发文量

101