Atlas of Green Energy Transitions

Written by scholars and activists, Atlas of Green Energy Transitions: Frontiers of Power, Conflict, and Possibilities employs immersive first-person narrative descriptions and rich imagery to tell the oft-revealing stories of contestation, exploitation, and complication within the landscapes upon which the world's green energy transition depends: the unsanctioned cobalt mines of the Congo, the solar farms clearing vast tracts of the Mojave Desert, the scattered e-waste operations of Zimbabwe, among others. Organized around the global supply chain, each chapter traces an abiotic protagonist from extraction to consumption, exploring the ecological and cultural contexts of its use in renewable energy technologies. In response to these stories, counternarratives propose alternatives to silver-bullet ecomodernism, advocating for just practices and reciprocal relationships with our host landscapes. Grounded in the specificity of place, the collection heightens awareness of land relations and global interconnection. It not only engages with the urgent realities of the energy transition but also showcases landscape architecture's unique ability to visualize environmental challenges, prompt interdisciplinary action, and imagine transformative futures. The book targets an audience of students and practitioners of the built environment while seeking to inspire the inner designer in all readers.