"Energy Capital, Discursive Power and the Shaping of Energy Futures" with Megan Egler, U of Victoria

Megan Egler, Postdoctoral Fellow with the Institute of Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria, presents a talk titled "Energy Capital, Discursive Power and the Shaping of Energy Futures" as part of the Irving Institute New Energy Series. About the talk Whether it's the Premier of Canada's oil country reviving a decades-old slogan to portray climate action akin to people 'freezing in the dark', or a solar developer leveraging the harmful legacies of coal mining in Appalachia to promote new solar projects, powerful narratives are being wielded to shape energy futures - and often in ways that reinforce existing power dynamics. Drawing on her research and experiences in historical fossil fuel producing regions across Canada and the US, Dr. Egler's talk will explore how energy capital exploits the people, histories, and landscapes of these regions to control narrative and define the terms of energy's future. About the presenter Megan Egler is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Public Administration and the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems at the University of Victoria. Megan's research deals with the political economies and critical geographies of energy and extraction, with research focusing on the just design and implementation of energy and climate policies; the prefiguring potential of energy technologies and initiatives; and the cultural politics of fossil fuel regions. She has contributed research and consulted on programs and policies dealing with fossil fuel liabilities and major energy infrastructure and mining projects in Canada and the USA.