The Political Economy of the Energy Transition in Latin America

The persistence of extractivism in Latin America is a central issue in contemporary debates on global sustainability and the curse of the energy transition.

This book explores these pressing concerns by analyzing the tensions between the energy transition, extractivism, and green development in Latin America. While important parts of the world economy are beginning to decarbonize and industrialized nations promote sustainability initiatives, resource extraction continues to play a fundamental role in the political, economic, and social landscapes of the Global South. The international expert contributors to this volume examine whether the emerging sustainability paradigm based on energy transition represents an alternative or merely a reconfiguration of historical extractivist structures. The first few chapters of the book critically examine the unsustainability of extractivism and therefore the historical and contemporary challenges of resource dependency. It presents case studies of countries such as Bolivia, Venezuela, and Argentina, illustrating how extractivist states have struggled with governance dilemmas, environmental degradation, and socio-political resistance. The following chapters focus on the challenges for the green economy, investigating the intersection between sustainability and structural economic constraints, addressing the risks of green extractivism, and exploring whether Latin America can escape the cycle of resource dependency.

Through an interdisciplinary approach that integrates political economy, sociology, environmental science, and development studies, this book provides a nuanced understanding of Latin America’s resource dilemmas in the context of global energy transitions.