The Social Challenges and Opportunities of Low-Carbon Development

This book uniquely explores the social implications and challenges of low carbon and addresses how low carbon development can be realized while also achieving poverty reduction and social justice. 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. This book aims to explore, critically analyse and propose different strategies for how low carbon development could become socially viable in both developed and developing countries.

The book first elaborates the need for understanding the social issues and challenges of low carbon development in both developed and developing countries. It then discusses six contemporary challenges of low carbon development: the social consequences of Chinese hydropower dams in low and middle income countries, the challenges of REDD in Borneo and the Amazonas, solar power for refugees in Africa, the cost of the wind energy transition in Germany, the issue of fuel inefficient housing, poverty and low carbon housing in the UK, and transport and CO₂ emissions in cities in the US. The case studies are used to illustrate some of the key social issues of low carbon development and to explore the opportunities for change.

The book presents the latest conceptual and empirical evidence on the social implications and issues of low carbon development. It serves both as a comprehensive introduction to the social and economic aspects of development and how these can be combined with low carbon efforts. It fills a crucial gap for researchers, postgraduates, practitioners, and policy-makers in the fields of climate change, development and social policy.

Dr. Johan Nordensvard works as Researcher in Social Policy and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science LSE, UK.