University of Central Florida STARS Honors Undergraduate Theses UCF Theses and Dissertations 2021 The Australian Paradox: Politics of an Energy Transition Lindsay H. Bushing University of Central Florida Part of the Energy Policy Commons, and the Political Science Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the UCF Theses and Dissertations at STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Undergraduate Theses by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Recommended Citation Bushing, Lindsay H., "The Australian Paradox: Politics of an Energy Transition" (2021). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 1042. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/1042 THE AUSTRALIAN PARADOX: POLITICS OF AN ENERGY TRANSITION by LINDSAY HANNAH BUSHING B.A. University of Central FloriDa, 2021 A thesis submitteD in fulfillment of the requirements of Honors in the Major for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in the School of Politics, Security, anD International Affairs in the Burnett Honors College anD College of Sciences at the University of Central Florida OrlanDo, FloriDa Summer Term 2021 ABSTRACT The 1973 oil shock was the first energy crisis modern industrialized economies experienced. The disruption exposed the limitations of energy systems that rely on fossil fuels, creating a demand for experimentation of energy alternatives. In their book, Renewables: The Politics of a Global Energy Transition, Michaël Aklin, and Johannes Urpelainen provide a framework to analyze this transitionary period for selected countries, as well as the events that provoke the need for change in the form of the 1970s external shocks in oil prices.