First World Petro-Politics: The Political Ecology and Governance of Alberta

"While not everyone will agree with the perspective of the authors, anyone interested in a deeper understanding of how fossil fuel resources have shaped Alberta’s environment, culture and especially political life will find a wealth of insight throughout this book."

George Hoberg, Alberta Views, January/February 2017

‘For those readers interested in the Albertan petro-plays, Adkin's First World Petro-Politics is a must- read. For those uninterested or more likely unaware of Alberta's place in the global hydrocarbon industry, this volume serves notice: pay attention.’

James B. Johnson, Journal of Political Ecology vol 23:2016

‘This book succeeds in offering many and varied empirically rich chapters that deploy a wide array of analytical lenses and that are based on detailed explorations of different facets of tar sands.’

Terry Hathaway, Environmental Politics January 2017

“First World Petro-Politics makes a major contribution to the petro-politics debate. Its use of political ecology perspectives offers a sophisticated, carefully crafted, and incisive analysis that could cause an earthquake in Alberta.”

Mike Gismondi, Centre for Social Sciences, Athabasca University

What might it mean to explore the global oil and gas complex not from the vantage point of the resource curse afflicting a Nigeria or an Ecuador but through the lens of　 the contested oilfields in the Global North?　 First World Petro-Politics dives headlong into Alberta’s tar sands to show that oil and gas at both ends of the world system have striking family resemblances. In this outstanding collection the contributors show how the extraction of bitumen has given rise to local and national struggles including: the survival of Aboriginal communities, the defense of boreal forest habitat and watersheds, the struggles over the urban infrastructural needs of oil boom towns like Fort McMurray, and　 the national and transnational movements toward a low carbon future. The book’s admirable commitment to multiple facets of the operations of Big Oil – from racialised and gendered subjectivities on the oilfields, to corporate social responsibility and regulatory politics – offers up a brilliant accounting of the political ecology of Alberta’s fossil capitalism.　 First World Petro-Politics is a path-breaking collection.

Michael Watts, Class of 63 Professor, University of California, Berkeley