Development and Change最新文献

This article argues that an effective rethinking of agriculture in the light of the climate emergency should aim to achieve more than decarbonization in agricultural production. The multidimensional ecological crisis precipitated by industrial agriculture can only be addressed through an integrated approach that seeks to restore the ecological balance through sustainable production practices. However, such a programme of reversing the ecological footprint generates its own tensions. Agriculture will continue to be a critical source of food and livelihoods which will necessitate trade-offs regarding the sector's role in restoring and maintaining ecological balance. Fundamental institutional change will be needed to reconcile the ecological regeneration process (in agriculture) with the goals of food production and livelihood provision. The existing political economy of corporate agrifood systems, the neoliberal state and contemporary agrarian social structures could create obstacles to such change. A concerted programme of public action will therefore be required to move forward.

Inequality and climate change are intricately linked, both in terms of the cause and the effect of climate change. The insight that inequality in emissions goes hand in hand with rising socio-economic inequality gives the impression that this is a straightforward, positive relationship, giving rise to the assumption that a mere redistribution of income in favour of the poor and disadvantaged will reverse the climate crisis. Focusing on the Indian context, this article shows that this may be an erroneous assumption. A redistribution of income in favour of those at the lower end of the population may actually lead to higher emissions per capita — the carbon inequality paradox. However, this does not mean that a choice has to be made between emissions and equality. While energy may be required for an egalitarian development, the source of that energy need not be dirty. The authors argue that a green energy transition is vital for any progressive fight against the twin problems of rising emissions and inequality. They propose a green development programme which, as well as promoting this energy transition, encourages socially necessary consumption through state-led expenditure programmes while socially unnecessary expenses of the elite are reined in through aggressive direct and indirect taxes.

China's renewable energy development is often seen as a success story in the global green transition effort. This article examines how that success has been shaped by the interplay between the state's development rationale and the logic of capital followed by enterprises — factors that have enabled rapid capacity expansion and falling costs of production. Yet running alongside these achievements are deep structural tensions. Drawing on evidence from China's solar power, wind power and electric vehicle sectors, the article argues that the logic of capital — expressed in price wars, overcapacity and international trade conflict — has repeatedly challenged the state's strategic development goals. China's experience offers a particularly revealing case of the limits of technocratic green industrialization under capitalism. Rather than a model to emulate, China illustrates both the possibilities and the constraints of building renewables capitalism from the Global South.

China stands as both the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases and the leading producer and user of clean energy technologies. While the country has rapidly expanded its green technology sector, this growth has largely added to, rather than replaced, fossil fuel consumption. This duality presents a complex challenge in assessing China's impact on the global green transition — a challenge which is compounded by ongoing debates about the essence of China's political economy and the relatively early stage of theorizing the broader political and economic implications of the green transition. Rather than debating whether China's system is capitalist or otherwise, this analysis focuses on understanding China through the logic of the pursuit of profits, as well as the country's approach to environmental policy. The transition is often framed in terms of ‘renewables capitalism’, emphasizing either state or market drivers, but this may overlook deeper tensions between the capitalist profit logic and the green transition. By examining these dynamics in a global context, and interrogating the motives behind China's actions, this article aims to shed light both on China's future performance and the extent to which a meaningful green transition is achievable, either within or outside renewables capitalism.