The Low-Carbon Contradiction: Energy Transition, Geopolitics, and the Infrastructural State in Cuba

by Gustav Cederlof

Overview

In the pursuit of socialism, Cuba became Latin America’s most oil-dependent economy. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the country lost 86 percent of its crude oil supplies, resulting in a severe energy crisis. In the face of this shock, Cuba started to develop a low-carbon economy based on economic and social reform rather than high-tech innovation. The Low-Carbon Contradiction examines this period of rapid low-carbon energy transition, which many have described as a “Cuban miracle” or even a real-life case of successful “degrowth.” Working with original research from inside households, workplaces, universities, and government offices, Gustav Cederlöf retells the history of the Cuban Revolution as one of profound environmental and infrastructural change. In doing so, he opens up new questions about energy transitions, their politics, and the conditions of a socially just low-carbon future. The Cuban experience shows how a society can transform itself while rapidly cutting carbon emissions in the search for sustainability.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520393134
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	08/29/2023
Series:	Critical Environments: Nature, Science, and Politics , #13
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Gustav Cederlöf is Associate Senior Lecturer in Human Ecology at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Table of Contents

Contents

List of Illustrations and Table 
Preface 
Acronyms 

Introduction 
1. Against the Energy Empire 
2. Electrification or Death 
3. Blackout 
4. Socialist Redistribution and Autonomous Infrastructure 
5. The Energy Revolution 
Conclusion: Energy Transitions and Infrastructural Form 

Notes 
Bibliography 
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Gustav Cederlöf’s book poses challenging questions about energy transition and energy justice from an often-overlooked Caribbean and socialist vantage point."

NACLA

Cederlof demonstrates how mainstream narratives of energy transition tend to overlook how one country situates itself in the international political economy.” 
 

International Affairs