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New frontiers and conceptual frameworks for energy justice

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 05:33 authored by Benjamin SovacoolBenjamin Sovacool, Matthew Burke, Lucy Baker, Chaitanya Kumar Kotikalapudi, Holle Wlokas
This article explores how concepts from justice and ethics can inform energy decision-making and highlight the moral and equity dimensions of energy production and use. It defines “energy justice” as a global energy system that fairly distributes both the benefits and burdens of energy services, and one that contributes to more representative and inclusive energy decision-making. The primary contribution of the article is its focus on six new frontiers of future energy justice research. First is making the case for the involvement of non-Western justice theorists. Second is expanding beyond humans to look at the Rights of Nature or non-anthropocentric notions of justice. Third is focusing on cross-scalar issues of justice such as embodied emissions. Fourth is identifying business models and the co-benefits of justice. Fifth is better understanding the tradeoffs within energy justice principles. Sixth is exposing unjust discourses. In doing so, the article presents an agenda constituted by 30 research questions as well as an amended conceptual framework consisting of ten principles. The article argues in favor of “justice-aware” energy planning and policymaking, and it hopes that its (reconsidered) energy justice conceptual framework offers a critical tool to inform decision-making.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Energy Policy

ISSN

0301-4215

Publisher

Elsevier

Volume

105

Page range

677-691

Department affiliated with

  • SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2017-03-27

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2018-03-19

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2017-03-27

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