ABSTRACT
It is a longstanding understanding of green and ecological economists that the exponential growth that characterises the global capitalist economy is incompatible with a sustainable future. This clearly has important implications for the ownership of resources as we move through the sustainability transition. If we face an absolute limit on both the size of the economy and our level of material consumption, then the way we share both resources and our economic product becomes much more salient. This dichotomy gives rise to questions and considerations that go beyond the call for a Just Transition and extend into issues concerning the ownership of the sustainable economy of the future. This chapter explores the theoretical links between sustainability, resilience, and ownership. It focuses on a case study of the energy sector, comparing the authoritarian and exploitative models of fossil fuel extraction with the potential for cooperative energy and emancipation in the era of fossil fuels. As well as the fundamental issue of ownership, the chapter also considers how engagement in the cooperative economy builds vital skills required by a sustainable citizen, including adaptability, resilience, and the ability to find shared solutions to urgent problems.
