The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and Coady Institute Present
Power and Just Transitions: Why Is It So Difficult to Move Beyond Fossil Fuels in the Face of Climate Change?
Dr. John Gaventa, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex
September 28, 2026
7:00 pm–9:00 pm
Dennis Hall, Coady West (Markin Global Complex)
The Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and the Coady Institute are pleased to welcome Dr. John Gaventa as part of the Institute’s Distinguished Speaker Series. Dr. Gaventa’s talk will discuss how the realities of climate change make the urgency of moving away from a fossil fuel economy all the more clear. In April 2026, over 50 countries gathered in Santa Maria, Colombia, to develop a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels and to develop practical pathways for reducing dependence on coal, oil, and gas. And yet despite the urgencies, energy transitions are stalling in many places around the world. While the technologies for cleaner and renewable forms of energy may be available, political obstacles to change often stand in the way.
Drawing upon his recent book Power and Just Transitions: Struggles for a Post-Coal Future in an Appalachian Valley (2026, co-edited with Gabe Schwartzman), in this public lecture, Dr. John Gaventa will discuss the power of the fossil fuel industry and the challenges and possibilities of just transitions to new energy economies.
Building upon his previous award-winning book, Power and Powerlessness in an Appalachian Valley (1982), this new book explores how power shifted in a rural mining valley in the United States once the mines closed, the emergence of new actors, and the forms and possibilities for citizen action and participation in the midst of this transition. In this lecture, using the Appalachian Valley as a microcosm, he will draw lessons for the challenges of shifting power away from fossil fuels more globally, including in Nova Scotia and Canada.
All are welcome.
Biography
Dr. John Gaventa
A political sociologist and engaged scholar, Dr. John Gaventa’s most recent work focuses on the possibilities for a just energy transition, including the recent book with Gabe Schwartzman titled Power and Just Transitions: Struggles for a post-coal future in an Appalachian Valley (January 2026). This work is a sequel to his earlier 1982 award-winning book Power and Powerlessness in an Appalachian Valley. Dr. Gaventa is currently a Professor at the Institute of Development Studies in the United Kingdom and previously served as director of the Coady Institute and VP for International Affairs at StFX (2011–14). He received an Honorary Doctorate from StFX in 2023. A former chair of Oxfam GB, he also received an OBE in the UK in 2012. Over the last 50 years, he has written widely on issues of power, citizen action and social justice.