Beyond Green Capitalism. Critical perspectives on energy, ecology and green transition
The webinar series Beyond Green Capitalism. Critical Perspectives on Energy, Ecology and Green Transition is launching, curated by Critical Lab, a group bringing together researchers from CNR-IRPPS, Queen Mary University of London, Sapienza University of Rome, and Roma Tre University working on issues related to a just energy transition.
Starting on 23 October and running through June 2027, the online series will feature monthly meetings addressing three main themes: the material geographies of the energy transition; issues of power, justice, and violence; and transformative change and the energy transition.
Far from being inherently sustainable or equitable, renewable energy infrastructures reproduce and, in some cases, intensify patterns of land dispossession, environmental degradation, and social inequality. The webinars examine energy transitions as contested processes shaped by power, capital, and social struggles. Rather than focusing exclusively on technological solutions, it explores the political economies and ecologies of energy across diverse geographical and social contexts around the world: from renewable energy installations to mineral extraction sites, from manufacturing facilities to spaces devoted to waste management and disposal, and from areas affected by conflicts over resource control to spaces of resistance and collective efforts to organize alternatives.
The first session will take place on 23 October 2026, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. UK time (4:00–5:00 p.m. Italian time), and will focus on Crude Capitalism and Myths of a Green Transition, convened by Professor Adam Hanieh.
Critical Lab is coordinated by Carlo Inverardi Ferri, principal investigator of the ERC project Illicit Labour and the Photovoltaic Industry, hosted by CNR-IRPPS. Contributors include Anwesha Aditi, Julian Lovreglio, and Riccardo Martinelli (CNR-IRPPS and Sapienza University of Rome).
Updates on the seminar series and Critical Lab: https://critical-lab.org/
23 October 2026 | Prof. Adam Hanieh (Register here) |
13 November 2026 | Prof. Karen Rignall |
18 December 2026 | Prof. Jamie Cross |
29 January 2027 | Prof. Ryan Stock |
19 February 2027 | Prof. Andreas Malm |
19 March 2027 | Prof. Stefania Barca |
23 April 2027 | Prof. Wendy Harcourt |
21 May 2027 | Dr. Muna Dajani |
18 June 2027 | Dr. Lorenzo Feltrin |
