Political-industrial ecologies of energy

The chapter reviews the nascent field of political-industrial ecology and analyses how political-industrial ecology can advance energy geographies. After briefly tracing the origins and objectives of political ecology and industrial ecology, the two component parts of political-industrial ecology, the author evaluates what is gained by bringing the two fields into conversation. The author argues that political-industrial ecology can help to advance energy geographies in three key ways: (1) by bridging prescriptive and critical perspectives on energy studies; (2) by revealing the ‘hidden’ discursive, material and livelihood flows mediating the metabolism of energy systems, particularly in rural regions; and (3) by helping to craft alternative, more inclusive and just energy policy pathways that are simultaneously attentive to the political and biophysical dimensions of energy development. These arguments are developed through a political-industrial ecology analysis of Jatropha biofuel promotion on ‘wastelands’ in India, one of the most contentious biofuel policies of the last decade.