Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Hannes Warnecke-Berger ,  Hans-Jürgen Burchardt
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
ISBN:  

9781041152248

ISBN 10:   1041152248
Pages:   194
Publication Date:   31 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

1 Introduction 2 Rethinking Latin America's Energy Transition: Which Path to Follow? 3 From Efficiency to Prosperity: Does the Changing Narrative of Industrial Policy Open New Opportunities for the Global South? 4 Eradicating the Structural Limits of the Latin American Economies with Commodities 5 Green Growth Models in the Periphery: Limits for Latin America's Decarbonization 6 Climate Change and Consumption Patterns in Mexico 7 Kicking Away the Ladder Again? On Extractivism and Development Policies 8 The End of the Natural Gas Cycle in Bolivia: A Historical Analysis of Structural Extractivism 9 Oil and Development Expectations in Latin America: The Extractivist Model in Venezuela 10 Resistance to Uranium Mining in Argentina: (In)Between Clean Energy Self-Sufficiency and Neo-Extractivism 11 Geographies of Decarbonization: Green Frontiers and the Political Economy of Lithium and Hydrogen in Argentina 12 The Extractive Transition and Social License: The Crossroad for the Andean Region 13 Trajectories of Mineral Policy under the Energy Transition: Global Production Networks and the Extractivist State in South America 14 Extractivism and Resource Nationalism 15 Epilogue: To the Decarbonization Consensus

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Author Information

Hannes Warnecke-Berger is a senior researcher at the University of Kassel and the principal investigator of the research network extractivism. Hans-Jürgen Burchardt is Professor of International and Inter-Societal Relations at the University of Kassel and German Director of the Maria Sibylla Merian Center CALAS.

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