False solutions : How do fossil fuel companies reproduce their power through the energy transition
Llavero Pasquina, Marcel (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	In response to mounting political and social pressure to transform their business models, the fossil fuel industry is attempting to portray itself as "part of the solution" to the climate crisis by emphasising its investments into renewable energy, biofuels, green hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, and carbon offsets. However, environmental justice organisations have labelled these technologies as "false solutions" that do not address the root causes of the climate crisis and entrench environmental injustice and fossil fuel companies' power. In this paper, we formalise and operationalise a definition of false solutions by engaging with Gramsci's conception of hegemony and incumbent strategies, in particular the concept of trasformismo. We extend neogramscian theory by proposing a model of reproduction and reinforcement of power within and between three power domains: ideas, infrastructure, and institutions. Empirically, we explore the environmental conflicts that arise around the deployment of false solutions through a global analysis of 48 case studies in the EJAtlas and a coding methodology that identifies processes of power reproduction and reinforcement. We show that false solutions comprise an array of technologies that prolong fossil fuel hegemony and neutralise socio-political pressures for systemic transformation, thereby sustaining current extractive economic models that reproduce environmental conflicts and injustices.
Grants:	Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TED2021-132007B-I00
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	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.
Language:	Anglès
Series:	Eckstein, Sarah Kate ; Daley, Freddie ; Rugh, Nathaniel ; Glimmerveen, Judith
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Environmental conflicts ; Gramsci ; Oil and gas Industry ; Hydrogen ; Carbon Offsets ; CCS ; Renewable Energy ; Biofuels ; SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy ; SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth ; SDG 13 - Climate Action
Published in:	Energy research & social science, Vol. 130 (December 2025) , art. 104367, ISSN 2214-6296

DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.104367

15 p, 4.6 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles