Climate Frontiers and Social Transformation: Socio-Ecological Shifts in the Age of Global Inequality [Hardcover]

This book examines how climate change is reshaping not just the environment, but also global politics, economies, and societies. Through a systems-level analysis, it demonstrates the link between ecological crises and global capitalism, power struggles, and social movements. The book explains how climate change disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly in the Global South.

Employing world-systems theory and historical analysis, the book explores crucial issues such as fossil fuel dependence, global trade, urbanization, and resistance movements. The book also discusses the roles of Indigenous communities, youth activism, and grassroots efforts in striving for a fairer, more sustainable future. With its case studies and forward-looking insights, this book will appeal to anyone studying or working in the fields of climate justice, sustainability, or global change.

Part I: Theoretical and Historical Foundations.- Chapter 1. Global Environmental Change and the Evolution of World-Systems Thinking.- Chapter 2. Capital, Carbon, and the Climate System: Historical Drivers of Ecological Crisis.- Chapter 3. Climate as Structure and Process: A Systems Perspective on Ecological Transformation.- Chapter 4. The Energy Transition in Historical Perspective: From Biomass to Fossil Fuels and Beyond.- Part II: Regional Dynamics and Systemic Inequalities.- Chapter 5. Climate Change and the Reproduction of Global Inequality.- Chapter 6. Peripheral Ecologies: Environmental Degradation at the Margins of the World-System.- Chapter 7. Ecological Imperialism Revisited: Land Grabs, Resource Frontiers, and Global Demand.- Chapter 8. Urban Metabolism and the Global South: Climate Change and Infrastructural Fragility.- Part III: Actors, Institutions, and Movements.- Chapter 9. Hegemony and Climate Governance: Core States, Agreements, and the Limits of Multilateralism.- Chapter 10.lÓD