The political ecology of oil and gas corporations : TotalEnergies and post-colonial exploitation to concentrate energy in industrial economies
Llavero-Pasquina, Marcel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Navas Obando, Grettel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Cantoni, Roberto (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Martínez Alier, Joan (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Fecha:	2024
Resumen:	Industrial economies require a steady supply of energy to reproduce and grow. Oil and gas companies fulfil that socio-economic function by constantly finding, extracting and transporting energy sources. The steady extraction and concentration of fossil resources in industrialised centres requires the constant expansion of extraction frontiers and the exploitation of the environment and local communities in unindustrialised areas. This leads to conflicts where local environmental justice organisations fight for the preservation of their lives, livelihood and culture, while companies defend their profits. Thus, oil companies become vectors of an oppression that links the societies enjoying the benefits of lavish energy with those that suffer the impacts of extraction. In this work, based on the Environmental Justice Atlas database, we systematically analyse 50 environmental conflicts related to one of such companies - the French oil major TotalEnergies. Our research reveals the social and environmental cost of the energy resources that power industrial economies. We find that, despite a recent narrative focused on the company's 'greening', TotalEnergies' extraction and concentration functions remain inextricably linked to fossil fuels. Furthermore, the interests and operations of TotalEnergies and the French State are inextricably intertwined and reproduce colonial relationships of power. Our findings support theories of change based on the abandonment of colonial and extractive State models, rather than pursuing fiscal and regulatory measures alone.
Ayudas:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M
Nota:	Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB
Nota:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Derechos:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Lengua:	Anglès
Documento:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Materia:	Fossil fuels ; Environmental justice ; Corporate social irresponsibility ; Environmental conflicts ; Extractivism ; Ecological economics
Publicado en:	Energy research & social science, Núm. 109 (March 2024) , art. 103434, ISSN 2214-6296

DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103434

13 p, 1.9 MB

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Documentos de investigación > Documentos de los grupos de investigación de la UAB > Centros y grupos de investigación (producción científica) > Ciencias > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
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