Abstract: Transitioning away from fossil fuels requires the production of energy from non-fossil sources. However, quantitative analyses and historical assessments of previous shifts in energy use indicate that the expansion of non-fossil energy sources – _in the absence of direct efforts to suppress fossil fuel extraction and challenge the power of the fossil fuel industry – may not appreciably contribute to a decline in fossil fuel use and may have a variety of unintended consequences. These analyses suggest that a full energy transition to cleaner energy sources requires not only technological developments but changes in economic structures and political power relationships.

Bio: Richard York is a professor of Sociology and Environmental Studies at the University of Oregon. His research addresses issues in human ecology, animal studies, and science studies. He has won numerous awards for research and teaching, including the lifetime achievement award from the Environmental Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). He has served as the Chair of both the Environmental Sociology Section and the Animals and Society Section of the ASA.

Organizers
Department of Geography
Department of Sociology
UB Critical Ecologies Research Collaborative
Humanities Institute Science Studies Workshop