Decarbonization rush? The problem of speed in the energy transition

Abstract

From activists to investors, decarbonizing the global economy in light of the climate catastrophe is now seen as imperative. But how to achieve this in a growth regime that still depends on fossil extraction? Burning stuff remains the world economy’s core wealth-creating activity while emissions continue to rise. The only way to limit global warming to 1.5-degree Celsius seems a radical and fast cut in emissions at all levels of economic activity, in order to halt and potentially reverse the effects of global warming. However, this need for a ‘rapid transition’ also involves another problem that is not discussed as frequently: the problem of pace embedded in the wider politics of speed. Just like a petrol car emits more CO2 if it speeds up, growth infrastructure is more likely to cause lasting damage if built at a higher pace. Land use and mineral extractivism are just two of many examples. While socio-environmental relations suffer from various forms of accelerationism, this also includes harm done by building renewable infrastructures at high speeds. Using examples from Egypt and Morocco, this paper questions whether the suggested rapid transformation, or decarbonization rush, is indeed feasible or even conducive to the overall aim of carbon reduction and just social transformation. It identifies three core problems with debates on speed before going into the details of the respective cases and the socio-environmental issues associated with rapid transitions. It finally argues in favour of a decentralized and decelerated form of decarbonization, which carries a greater promise for environmental and energy justice.