Abstract
As the transition from fossil fuel energy to renewable and low-carbon sources drags and falters, questions are being raised on the causes of the inertia. One explanation provided is how fossil fuels through path-dependent carbon lock-in thwart the shift to cleaner energy forms. Unfortunately, in these explanations little is said about how labour can be part or facilitate carbon lock-ins. This chapter, using South Africa as a case study, explains how trade unions can themselves be locked in and why despite the support for a just energy transition, the labour movement in the Global South either finds it difficult to consistently pursue policies for the shift or ends up supporting the fossil fuel lobby in opposition to the introduction of renewables.
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Sikwebu, D., Aroun, W. (2021). Energy Transitions in the Global South: The Precarious Location of Unions. In: Räthzel, N., Stevis, D., Uzzell, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Environmental Labour Studies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71909-8_3
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