What does it mean for energy policies to be equitable and just?
Two popular buzzwords in our current climate conversation are “just” and “equitable,” especially when we discuss transitioning away from fossil fuels to clean energy. But what does it mean to ensure a just and equitable energy transition? Energy justice entails achieving equity in the social and economic participation in the energy system, remediating socioeconomic and health burdens on marginalized communities, and explicitly centering their concerns. It also involves making clean energy accessible, affordable, and democratically managed.
Energy equity is a facet of energy justice that has four dimensions, according to ACEEE: procedural, distributional, structural, and transgenerational. By centering energy equity in all energy policies and decisions, policymakers can manage how benefits and burdens are distributed across the energy landscape, ensuring that those most affected by energy poverty and the climate crisis are not left behind or inadvertently harmed.
It can be confusing to suggest that a transition to clean energy could potentially harm marginalized communities. However, these frontline communities are historically and presently disenfranchised due to racial, economic, and social inequity, and it is therefore essential to center them in the conversation and decision-making process. This means they should be included at every step in meaningful ways, and with sufficient support. For example, meetings should be conducted at convenient locations and times, and decision-makers should consider providing compensation for labor, time, and expertise, as well as childcare, food, and WiFi. They should also be given relevant and clear information to sufficiently evaluate the proposed policy, so that they can provide productive and relevant feedback.
Policies should also center the decision making of marginalized communities by giving community members authentic leadership roles that define, drive, and hold accountable clean energy program decisions and outcomes. A key consideration here is an evaluation of whether the policy allows for the ownership and control of energy assets by communities on the frontline, such as working class people, indigenous communities, racial minorities, children, and the elderly. This process should be transparent and inclusive.
Recognizing the historical, cultural, and institutional dynamics that have led to inequities is not enough. Clean energy policies should aim to remedy prior and present harms faced by communities, and should, at all costs, prevent further harm as a result of the energy transition. Does the policy result in gentrification and displacement? Would it exert further financial pressures on already-vulnerable populations? Is it accessible and affordable to marginalized communities or does it simply increase their energy burden and energy poverty? How will it impact future generations?
These are only a few of the metrics and guidelines that policymakers can take into consideration when developing energy transition policies to address disparity issues and prevent the unintended consequences of energy initiatives. Developing clean energy policies is far from straightforward, and policymakers should plan to experiment and fine-tune over time, but working with the community, creating policies encouraging flexibility, evolution, and collaboration, and starting evaluation early can minimize the need to make big changes retroactively. Partnerships must further trust, accountability, and long-term relationships with community members, peer learning groups, NGOs, activists, local organizations and associations, and other community groups. By doing so, municipalities can co-create energy policies that benefit the most number of people for generations to come.
Written by Syeda Mahnoor Raza (’24)
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash