Wind Energy, Benefit-Sharing and Indigenous Peoples: Lessons From the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Southern Mexico

Abstract

This article looks at the practice of benefit-sharing in wind energy projects in indigenous peoples’ lands in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico. The aim is to gauge how the procedural, distributive and recognition justice associated with the development of renewable energy generation capacity have been addressed, the challenges experienced and the solutions that may be adopted to address these. The paper is organised as follows. After an introduction setting out the research questions, context and background of the paper, part two unpacks the justice questions associated with benefit-sharing in the context of renewable energy generation, building on the literature on energy justice. Part three looks at how these questions have been addressed in practice, in the context of renewable energy projects in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Part four reflects on what our case study has revealed about the use of benefit-sharing as a means to engender energy justice.