The Thermodynamics of Unequal Exchange

Abstract

Energy flow — the capture and transformation of energy, and the output of pollution generated during that process — is essential to increases in complexity, but with the cost of growing disorder, or entropy. In world-systems, energy flow has been, and continues to be, a basis for intersocietal conflict and competition, including unequal exchange that generates inequality in levels of development and ecological degradation across societies. This article builds upon extant research on the role of energy flow in world-systems through an analysis of data on energy use and GDP in the world-system from 1975 to 2005 and for 1975—2004 for CO 2 emissions. Using a panel of 87 countries, a world-system core, semiperiphery, and periphery is generated based on population-weighted energy use. Analysis of energy flows through this world-system provides support for the existence of unequal ecological exchange — the core countries are using more energy, emitting more CO 2 , and attaining more GDP per capita relative to the semiperiphery, with the periphery lagging well behind both. This relationship also holds for net importers of energy as compared to net energy exporters. This demonstrates the inequality in resource use that leads to the development of the core and the underdevelopment of the periphery. But gains are being made by countries in the semiperiphery and periphery relative to the core for both per capita and percentage of world total measures. This potential for development may place the planet in peril, however, as efficiency gains in the core are being offset by growth in emissions by the semiperiphery and periphery.