S2 Ep3: What happens when the oil runs out? Traumatic decarbonisation in South Sudan

Conflict Zone from the LSE

The transition away from fossil fuels is one of the major questions facing humanity in this century. In many states globally, this is presented as both a necessity and opportunity: to create new and sustainable economies.
But what happens if decarbonisation is forced on a state? In this podcast, we explore the 'peak oil' problem in South Sudan. As the country's reserves dwindle, and oil prices collapse, the extremely impoverished, oil dependent economy has faced a mounting and existential crisis. This is what the Conflict Research Programme calls, 'traumatic decarbonisation'. And it's been a central factor in the South Sudanese Civil War. Drawing on expert interviews and archive footage, Conflict Zone investigates this process and asks what can be done to address the on-going crisis.
Featuring Matthew Benson, director of the South Sudan team on the Conflict Research Programme, and Joshua Craze, a researcher with Tufts University who has been investigating the 'peak oil' crisis.
Producers: Luke Cooper, Azaria Morgan
Sound editor: Camilo Tirado
Intro music: The Drama by Rafael Krux (used for education purposes under Creative Commons License).
This podcast series has been funded by the UK government’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) as part of the LSE Conflict Research Programme. The ideas expressed in the podcast do not necessarily reflect the views or policy positions of the UK Government/FCDO.