Energy justice and development

TY - CHAP

T1 - Energy justice and development

AU - Kirshner, Joshua Daniel

AU - Omukuti, Jessica

PY - 2023/5/12

Y1 - 2023/5/12

N2 - Energy systems of production and consumption in least-developed countries are poorly understood, and policy formulation frequently occurs in absence of empirical data (Baka and Vaishnava, 2020; Bazilian et al., 2014). Consequently, research in development studies often fails to account for the centrality of energy access to processes of development in poorer countries of the global South (Schiffer, 2020). For many of these countries, limited energy use creates barriers to economic growth and development (Eggoh et al., 2011). Addressing these barriers forms the basis for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. While SDG 7 foregrounds energy access and use within wider development goals (UNDP, 2015), justice issues are not explicitly included (Munro et al., 2017).In this chapter, we aim to broaden understandings of energy justice by opening a dialogue with development thinking as it has emerged, evolved and changed since the post-World War 2 era. We suggest this entails scrutinizing energy justice principles from multiple, situated perspectives, adjusted to the conditions that shape policy action in contexts in the global South that have been recipients of development interventions. It also involves moving beyond the economic and technological perspectives on energy that have permeated energy debates (Axon and Morrissey, 2020) and towards greater recognition of people-centred views of energy, and the politics and power relations embedded within changing energy systems (Healy and Barry, 2017).

AB - Energy systems of production and consumption in least-developed countries are poorly understood, and policy formulation frequently occurs in absence of empirical data (Baka and Vaishnava, 2020; Bazilian et al., 2014). Consequently, research in development studies often fails to account for the centrality of energy access to processes of development in poorer countries of the global South (Schiffer, 2020). For many of these countries, limited energy use creates barriers to economic growth and development (Eggoh et al., 2011). Addressing these barriers forms the basis for the UN Sustainable Development Goals. While SDG 7 foregrounds energy access and use within wider development goals (UNDP, 2015), justice issues are not explicitly included (Munro et al., 2017).In this chapter, we aim to broaden understandings of energy justice by opening a dialogue with development thinking as it has emerged, evolved and changed since the post-World War 2 era. We suggest this entails scrutinizing energy justice principles from multiple, situated perspectives, adjusted to the conditions that shape policy action in contexts in the global South that have been recipients of development interventions. It also involves moving beyond the economic and technological perspectives on energy that have permeated energy debates (Axon and Morrissey, 2020) and towards greater recognition of people-centred views of energy, and the politics and power relations embedded within changing energy systems (Healy and Barry, 2017).

KW - Energy Justice

KW - Energy Governance

KW - Development Goals

KW - Modernization theory

KW - Dependency Theory

KW - Neoliberalsim

KW - Post-development

KW - Community-led development

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781839102950

T3 - Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change

SP - 79

EP - 93

BT - Handbook on Energy Justice

A2 - Bouzarovski, Stefan

A2 - Fuller, Sara

A2 - Reames, Tony

PB - Edward Elgar Publishing

CY - Cheltenham, UK

ER -