First World Petro-Politics examines the vital yet understudied case of a first world petro-state facing related social, ecological, and economic crises in the context of recent critical work on fossil capitalism.

A wide-ranging and richly documented study of Alberta’s political ecology – the relationship between the province’s political and economic institutions and its natural environment – the volume tackles questions about the nature of the political regime, how it has governed, and where its primary fractures have emerged. Its authors examine Alberta’s neo-liberal environmental regulation, institutional adaptation to petro-state imperatives, social movement organizing, Indigenous responses to extractive development, media framing of issues, and corporate strategies to secure social license to operate. Importantly, they also discuss policy alternatives for political democratization and for a transition to a low-carbon economy.

The volume’s conclusions offer a critical examination of petro-state theory, arguing for a comparative and contextual approach to understanding the relationships between dependence on carbon extraction and the nature of political regimes.

Laurie E. Adkin is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta.

Laurie Adkin's profile page

‘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.’

Environmental Politics January 2017

"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."

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.’

Journal of Political Ecology vol 23:2016