The Social Challenges and Opportunities of Low Carbon Development

This book explores the social implications and challenges of low-carbon development. The argument of the book is that a broad understanding of low-carbon development is essential for mitigating climate change and enabling development in a carbon-constrained world, but there are risks that low-carbon development might come at a price that is both social and economic. These risks need to be carefully assessed and reduced. The main aim of the book is to explore, critically analyse and propose different ways of understanding low-carbon development from a social perspective in both developed and developing countries. The author uses concepts such as low-carbon development, social policy, sustainable development and environmental justice to understand the social implications of low-carbon development projects.

The book first elaborates the need to understand the social issues and challenges of low-carbon development in both developed and developing countries. It then discusses five contemporary challenges of low-carbon development:

1. the social consequences of Chinese hydropower dams in the Mekong region;
2. the cost of the transition to renewable energies such as wind energy in Germany;
3. the challenges of carbon offsetting in Brazil;
4. the nexus of fuel-inefficient housing and fuel poverty in England;
5. solar power for refugees in Africa.

The book fills a crucial gap for researchers, postgraduates, practitioners and policy-makers in the fields of climate change, development and social policy.

Johan Nordensvärd is a Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Southampton, UK.