American Prestige Bonus - Green Energy and Fossil Capital w/ Thea Riofrancos (Preview)
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Jan 18, 2026 Thea Riofrancos, a political scientist and author specializing in climate politics, dives into the challenges surrounding green energy transitions. She reveals why the rise of renewable energy doesn’t necessarily lead to a decline in fossil fuel use. The conversation touches on the complexities of dismantling fossil capital and how historical energy transitions didn’t phase out fossil fuels but rather increased total energy consumption. Thea also discusses the political implications of consumption and offers insights into sustainable alternatives for the future.
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Value Destruction Is The Hard Part
- Destroying fossil-fuel value is far harder than creating green industries under capitalism.
- Intentional, state-driven value destruction could trigger a financial crisis because finance is heavily invested in fossil capital.
No Historical Precedent For Phasing Out Fuels
- Energy transitions historically meant adding new energy, not phasing old sources out, so a true phase-out would be novel.
- Phasing out fossil fuels would require a political rupture involving class conflict and state confrontation with powerful capitalists.
Oil At The Amazon's Mouth
- Thea points to oil drilling at the mouth of the Amazon as a stark example of extraction politics colliding with environmental leadership.
- She notes Latin American anti-extraction movements are among the most militant worldwide, so frontline response remains pivotal.
