Energy Justice Research Articles

Visualizing green capitalist renewable energy: Development and grassroots solar community alternatives in Puerto Rico

Abstract This article critiques industrial-scale solar energy development in Puerto Rico as a form of green capitalism that threatens the archipelago’s self-determination. Rather than uncritically embracing supposedly benign ‘green energy’ as necessary for advancing environmental, climate and energy justice, we argue that where, how and with whom this energy transformation takes place is crucial for calling attention to and challenging the continuance of inequitable and unjust power relations. To counter Puerto Rico’s ongoing exploitation as a ‘blank slate’ for development, we visually juxtapose the harms of industrial-scale solar ‘farms’ with distributed on-site, rooftop solar projects organized by grassroots group members in south-eastern Puerto Rico’s Jobos Bay region.

Civil society, environmental litigation, and Confucian energy justice: A case study of an environmental NGO in China

This study analyzes the role of civil society in China's clean energy transition from the perspective of Confucianism, an influential political-ethical doctrine with over 2000 years of history. An environmental non-governmental organization (ENGO), Friends of Nature (FON), was taken as a case study. FON is a pioneering ENGO in China and has become an influential actor in low-carbon energy transition in the country, primarily through its environmental litigation on energy projects. We argue that FON's legal actions, which focus on the climate and sustainability aspect of energy, are embedded in a Confucian understanding of justice, that is, justice as the pursuit of collective interest rather than the fair treatment of individuals; justice as nature-humanity harmony and the conservation of natural resources for future generation; and justice as an important manifestation of Confucian self-cultivation and a political obligation. This study contributes to the broader energy justice literature by proposing an understanding that goes beyond its Western origin.

Introduction: Uneven geographies of electricity capital

This special issue considers the relationship between energy, capitalism, and space through the lens of electricity capital. Electricity capital is the nexus of state, regulatory, and financial relationships that shape private accumulation through electricity provision. Although electricity provision is marked by immense historical and geographical diversity, the papers in this special issue work to theorize it as a core fraction of capital to draw into focus continuities and disruptions in capital flows amid the transition from fossil fuels to a diversity of clean sources. This special issue bridges debates in critical energy studies, economic geography, and political ecology on the possibilities of economic transformation through clean energy infrastructure by examining the dialectic between private accumulation through electrification and labor, environmental, and environmental justice organizing for “energy justice.” This special issue sheds light on the contradictory social relations that shape electrical power provision. We understand that electricity is seen not only as an energy source but also as an investment opportunity, a climate change mitigation strategy, an employment prospect, a component of economic development, and a site of democratic, community organizing. In so doing, we analyze the regulatory, financial, and infrastructural impediments to energy justice and international struggles to decarbonize the power sector to address climate change and to achieve universal and equitable electricity service.

What makes local energy projects acceptable? Probing the connection between ownership structures and community acceptance

Community ownership of wind energy has been found to increase acceptance, but the reasons for this are poorly understood. Here, we compare different communities’ attitudes towards local onshore wind energy projects in order to gain a deeper understanding of the characteristics of ownership which are conducive to community acceptance. Using a postal survey in Scotland (n = 318), we compared three communities with varying degrees of ownership regarding their (1) support for the local wind project; (2) perceptions of energy justice; (3) perceived impacts; and (4) ownership and benefit preferences. One-way ANOVAs and the Potential for Conflict Index2 identified that residents in the two communities with a degree of ownership were more associated with greater acceptance, processes, and outcomes (i.e. more just and inclusive development processes and more fairly distributed benefits and impacts), than residents living near the privately-owned development. Additionally, we provide evidence that a co-operative can achieve similar acceptance and energy justice as a fully community-owned project. Overall, the results indicate that policymakers should take seriously the connection between the tenets of energy justice and ownership models in their policy and planning efforts.

How does the digital economy accelerate global energy justice? Mechanism discussion and empirical test

In the context of climate change, just transition is particularly significant, and digitalization as a possible solution for a just transition is considered in this paper. We construct an econometric model between the digital economy and just transition by using a balanced panel dataset of 72 economies from 2010 to 2019, and explore their dynamic relationship and mechanism impacts by applying a system-generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) technique and a mediating model. The main results indicate that both the digital economy index and just transition index increase during the study period. Moreover, the digital economy not only promotes just transition, but also increases distributional justice, procedural justice, and restorative justice. In addition, the infrastructure and social impact of the digital economy also significantly increase the level of just transition; however, digital trade presents a negative effect on just transition. Finally, from the mechanism analysis, the digital economy indirectly improves just transition by increasing the level of human capital and financial development. This paper provides new ideas for realizing just transition in the future.

Equitable deep decarbonization: A framework to facilitate energy justice-based multidisciplinary modeling

Persistent, systemic harms have resulted in inequalities in wealth distribution, energy insecurity, infrastructure reliability, heat island exposure, and preexisting health conditions, all of which have exacerbated climate change driven damages. Efforts to decarbonize our energy system to address the climate crisis must seize the opportunity to reduce inequality. Doing so requires a multidisciplinary approach to assess the tradeoffs between alternative decarbonization pathways. In this Perspective we introduce an Equitable Deep Decarbonization Framework for mapping the tenets of energy justice to the practice of large-scale deep decarbonization pathways modeling designed to facilitate this multidisciplinary effort. We provide discussion of key considerations for each step of the framework to enable modeling that accounts for adaptation co-benefits associated with systematic climate risks to vulnerable communities.

Community Heroes and Sleeping Members: Interdependency of the Tenets of Energy Justice

Energy justice literature generally treats its three tenets, distributional justice, procedural justice and recognition justice, as separate and independent issues. These are seen as separate dimensions by which criteria can be formulated for a just state of affairs. And a just state of affairs regarding energy should fulfill all criteria. However, we show, using empirical research on six European energy communities that the tenets of energy justice are interdependent and negotiated in practice. We show this interdependency using three core concerns of justice—risk, effort and power—which we identified through our empirical work. Our findings reveal that community members are often willing to take risks and put in effort, if they are compensated with more power within the community. Similarly, members are willing to compromise power if no effort or risk-taking is required from them. This demonstrates the interdependency of the tenets “procedural justice” and “distributional justice” within energy communities. We reflect on the need for energy justice theory and policymakers to recognize the significance of this interdependency.

Energy Politics and Justice: An Ecofeminist Ethical Analysis of the Swedish Parliamentarian Debate

ABSTRACT We contribute to the scientific debate by studying the storylines, discourses and related normative judgments in parliamentary motions by private members of the Swedish parliament from the time period 2010–2019. The paper makes use of an ecofeminist theoretical framework to problematize these storylines, discourses and normative judgments. We conclude that the focus in the material is on economic and technical issues, while issues of justice play a marginal role. None of the important dimensions of energy justice are adequately considered and many of the dominant storylines and discourses are based on the implicit assumption that issues of justice are insignificant.

Unsafe temperatures, going without necessities, and unpayable bills: Energy insecurity of people with disabilities in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Energy insecurity disproportionately impacts households of people with disabilities, which is especially harmful for people with disabilities who rely on electric medical devices to live or have difficulties with thermoregulation without access to heating/cooling. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the energy insecurity of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including compared to nondisabled people and differences among people with disabilities themselves. To do so, we analyzed United States Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data from 52,890 people with disabilities and 391,532 people without disabilities; frequency-person weights were applied. During the pandemic, 50.8 % of people with disabilities reduced or forwent basic household necessities in order to pay an energy bill, 36.1 % kept their home at an unsafe or unhealthy temperature, and 37.5 % were unable to pay an energy bill during the last year of the pandemic. People with disabilities were also significantly more likely to be energy insecure during the pandemic than people without disabilities, even when other sociodemographic factors, such as income, were controlled. Energy justice demands everyone, including people with disabilities, have access to safe, affordable, and sustainable energy during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Implications of poorly designed climate policy on energy poverty: Global reflections on the current surge in energy prices

With the recovery of the world economy following the easing of restrictions designed to contain COVID-19, energy demand has surged, even as natural gas stocks have run dangerously low. In addition to the reduced investment in upstream energy resources, infrastructure and maintenance since the outbreak of COVID-19, the situation is exacerbated by supply constraints. This situation has triggered one of the first significant energy shocks of the green era and exposed the fragilities of the premature greening of energy system processes. A recent study indicates that 80 million European households are struggling to stay warm, and the recent spike in energy costs is expected to aggravate the problem. Here, we examine the impact of the energy-price boom on the state of energy poverty in Europe. This paper highlights how energy prices and the green transition may exacerbate the energy poverty trap in Europe. It emphasizes one of the downside effects of poorly designed climate policies. This discussion offers insights and important policy implications that may help trigger debates on energy poverty in developing countries. It argues that poorly designed climate policy may initiate new forms of inequalities and reaffirm existing ones by undermining the foundation of individuals' capabilities. It also reveals a pivotal shift in the underlying drivers of countries' future success in addressing climate change, eliminating energy poverty, and achieving energy justice. The analysis strengthens the case that climate policies must go hand-in-hand with inequality and energy poverty mitigation.

Energy justice in renewable energy projects: How learning about indigenous knowledge systems could inform systemic practice

AbstractThis article is aimed at organisations and researchers to urge them to adopt more systemic ways to deal with energy justice issues in renewable energy projects being built around the world to help meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) 7. It will focus on solar and wind farms. While these projects positively contribute towards achieving UNSDG 7 (viz., affordable clean energy), they have also created a variety of justice issues, which need to be addressed. While measures have been taken more recently to redress these issues, we make the case that the application of systemic thinking and practice could maximise the positives and minimise negative impacts of creating short‐term fixes without addressing the underlying root causes of the issues. Using two case studies, we will show how working systemically with indigenous populations and considering indigenous knowledge systems could help in dealing with justice issues.

A Review of Renewable Energy Laws in Malaysia: Comparing solar energy policies in Malaysia, United States, and China

There is concern over Malaysia's policy not being able to properly address issues concerning the ability to meet domestic energy demands and over the incomprehensive implementation of energy justice. Thus, an investigation to explore the policy, especially of those concerning solar energy, is conducted as part of renewable energy alternatives adopted by the country. This comparative study analyses the solar policies of three countries, namely Malaysia, the United States and China, to determine which implementation would be the most practical and efficient. Some recommendations to strengthen or improve the current solar energy policies in Malaysia will be shared as an outcome of the study. Keywords: Energy justice, Solar energy, Policies, Malaysia eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7%20(Special%20Issue).3818

Addressing climate goals and the SDGs through a just energy transition? Empirical evidence from Germany and South Africa

ABSTRACT In striving to achieve the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda, governments have the opportunity to implement their climate and sustainability goals more coherently. Such coherence requires the coordination of interdependent policies across different policy fields, sectors and actors. This paper explores how governments design and implement synergic solutions to concomitantly achieve both international agendas. With the empirical cases of Germany and South Africa, we investigate two independent approaches to the synergic solution of a just energy transition, whereby countries aim to phase out coal as a means to tackle climate change while also ensuring that the achievement of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is not hindered. Methodologically, we apply a deductive qualitative approach consisting of literature review, semi-structured interviews, and content analysis. To that end, we examine relevant policies and institutional arrangements by applying a combined conceptual framework of energy justice and just transition in both countries. We find major challenges in overcoming environmental, economic and social burdens of the coal phase-out, especially related to jobs and inequality (SDGs 8, 10) and the Water-Energy-Food-Land nexus (SDGs 2, 6, 7, 15). Through the selection of Germany and South Africa, we illustrate how countries with different political, social and economic backgrounds strive to manage such a transition. Our developed framework and case-studies’ findings point towards important considerations when designing just energy transition pathways, such as ensuring inclusiveness in decision-making, thoroughly assessing social, economic and environmental impacts, and adequately coordinating across different actors and the local, provincial and national levels.

Collaborative learning on energy justice: International youth perspectives on energy literacy and climate justice

ABSTRACT To explore the complexities of energy literacy in a global educational context, this article draws on research from a 7-month collaborative educational research project titled International Youth Deliberation on Energy Futures (IYDEF), which engaged 207 high school students from 22 schools in 18 countries in developing the education needed to activate just and sustainable energy transitions. Key to student learning were activities to build an awareness of systemic global climate issues and to develop energy literacy to understand unsustainable energy legacies and envision alternative and equitable energy transitions and futures. Based upon research from this global classroom case study, this article argues for a collaborative, global effort to promote sociocultural aspects of energy literacy as an underlying framework for energy and climate justice.

Revisiting recognition in energy justice

Energy justice often distinguishes between different tenets, such as distributive, procedural and recognition justice. Recognition justice has a distinct status compared to the other two as its meaning seems the least tangible to grasp. In this article, a systematic literature study was conducted to the definitions and interpretations of recognition justice, showing that the concept currently refers to a large variety of phenomena. This diversity obscures what “recognition justice” actually measures. This paper aims to revisit the concept of recognition justice in energy justice by asking the following question: what does the tenet of recognition justice refer to, taking into account the philosophical roots of the concept? To do so, key texts from Axel Honneth and Nancy Fraser were studied in-depth, resulting in four main insights: (1) there are two approaches to recognition justice; (2) actors can be (mis)recognised in multiple ways; (3) two different yet complementary methods for identifying instances of misrecognition can be distinguished; and (4) recognition justice cannot be reduced to other tenets of justice. These findings cumulate in a revisited definition of recognition justice as concerned with the adequate recognition of all actors through love, law, and status order. This definition structures the large variety of understandings in the scholarship, and it has the potential to provide a more fine-grained explanation of energy controversies, which advances the ultimate aim of making energy systems and policies more just.

Optimizing equity in energy policy interventions: A quantitative decision-support framework for energy justice

This paper presents a quantitative framework to support policy decision-making around equitable energy interventions. By combining sociodemographic and techno-economic models in the energy space, we propose a linear programming model to calculate the optimal portfolio of energy investments that explicitly minimizes the energy burden of a given population of energy insecure households. The model is formulated as a multi-objective optimization suitable to support the decisions on weatherization and deployment of distributed energy resources. We illustrate our methodology with a case study involving a population of 14,043 energy insecure households in Wayne County, Detroit, United States.

Energy Justice in Global Perspective: An Introduction

By Javiera Barandiarán, Mona Damluji & 3 more. The introduction to the 'Energy Justice in Global Perspective' stream, in which the articles advance a just global energy transition by centering voices and epistemologies of historically marginalized groups.

A Field Guide to Oil in Santa Barbara: Pedagogy and Practice for Environmental Media Studies

During fall 2018, a multidisciplinary cohort of graduate students participated in a course conducted by professors Javiera Barandiarán and Mona Damluji as part of the Mellon Sawyer Seminar on Energy Justice in Global Perspective at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For their final project, the students worked in groups to conduct place-based, site-specific research on the history and politics of oil in Santa Barbara County. Each group led a tour of a site significant to the history of oil in the region and produced a digital portfolio that contained contemporary and archival images, scans of archival documents, and observational site descriptions. The digital portfolios they compiled were then used to create the multimedia narrative and map A Field Guide to Oil in Santa Barbara. This essay contextualizes the Field Guide within the dominant narratives of oil in the Santa Barbara region, which attempt to contain oil as a naturally occurring substance of the past and not an ongoing part of the area’s role in global systems of oil extraction and capital. This collaboratively written introductory essay is at once a pedagogical reflection and a critical assessment of the field guide as a form of practice in environmental media studies. Over the past decade, field guides of various kinds have emerged across the humanities as hybrid artistic/academic projects, as outcomes of activist scholarship, and as provocations for site-responsive knowledge production. Field guides have also been used by governments and extractive industries to survey, categorize, and lay claim to resources. While acknowledging its experimental nature, this essay explores how the Field Guide is a model for interdisciplinary pedagogy and practice in environmental media studies.

Mapping Electric Vehicle Impacts: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Costs, and Energy Justice in the United States

Mapping Electric Vehicle Impacts: Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Fuel Costs, and Energy Justice in the United States

Ending the Energy-Poverty Nexus: An Ethical Imperative for Just Transitions

Arguments for a just transition are integral to debates about climate change and the drive to create a carbon-neutral economy. There are currently two broad approaches rooted in ethics and justice for framing just energy transitions. The first can be described as internal to the transition and emphasizes the anticipation, assessment, and redressing of harms created by the transition itself and the inclusion in transition governance of groups or communities potentially harmed by its disruptions. In this article, we propose a second approach to ethics and justice in an energy transition, which we describe as systemic or societal in scope. This approach complements attention to the proximate dynamics and impacts of the transition process with a focus on the distant societal and economic outcomes the transition brings into being and how they compare to conditions prior to the transition. It poses the question: do the transformative social, economic, and technological changes wrought by energy systems create more just societies and economies, or do they instead reinforce or recreate long-standing injustices and inequalities? We illustrate this approach with an assessment of one of the most significant existing forms of energy injustice: the energy-poverty nexus. We argue that the energy-poverty nexus reflects configurations of socio-energy systems that create complex, extractive feedbacks between energy insecurity and economic insecurity and, over time, reinforce or exacerbate poverty. We further argue that just energy transitions should work to disentangle these configurations and re-design them so as to create generative rather than extractive feedbacks, thus ending the energy-poverty nexus and creating long-term outcomes that are more just, equitable, and fair.