This Extractivism Policy Brief 04/2026 shows:
• Despite the importance of cutting emissions in the energy sector due to climate change, fossil fuel-producing countries see little reason to decarbonize their energy mix.
• According to the carbon lock-in theory, energy systems are complex; by intertwining technological, institutional, and cultural factors, they function in favor of the status quo.
• Mexico, a Global South country that has been a major oil producer, illustrates the reluctance of an energy system to adapt quickly and deeply towards an energy matrix with lower emissions.
The Author: Dr. Isabelle Rousseau is a professor and researcher at the Centre of International Studies (CEI) from El Colegio de México (COLMEX). Additionally, she founded and is the general coordinator of the energy program at the CEI. She founded and is the current director of the Journal “Global South Energy Studies” (Estudios Energéticos del Sur Global), coedited by El COLMEX and the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO-Mexico).
Link to PDF: Download Extractivism Policy Brief 04/2026 (SPANISCH).
Link to PDF: Download Extractivism Policy Brief 04/2026 (ENGLISCH).
