IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v192y2024ics1364032123010961.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

An energy justice index for the energy transition in the global South

Author

Listed:
  • Apergi, Maria
  • Eicke, Laima
  • Goldthau, Andreas
  • Hashem, Mustafa
  • Huneeus, Sebastián
  • Lima de Oliveira, Renato
  • Otieno, Maureen
  • Schuch, Esther
  • Veit, Konstantin

Abstract

In order to avoid dangerous climate change and to satisfy the global energy needs energy systems have to change. Hopes are especially high in countries of the Global South for the low-carbon transition to propel sustainable development. Yet, while the energy transition provides opportunities, it also raises questions on how to avoid new global inequalities. This study presents the first quantitative approach to measure the extent to which the energy transitions in the Global South incorporate elements of energy justice. In doing so, this study builds on a rich literature on energy justice that differentiates between distributional, recognition, and procedural justice, thus taking into account social and development objectives such as affordability and accessibility of energy, the inclusion of marginalised parts of society, as well as broader community involvement and participation. Though much important conceptual and qualitative work has been done, what has been lacking so far is a quantitative measure of the degree to which the energy transition lives up to the imperative of energy justice, going beyond the much-studied Global North. The proposed energy justice index is designed and applied to select countries from Southeast Asia (Malaysia), sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya), the MENA region (Jordan), and Latin America (Chile). The index stands the test of the empirical application and demonstrates significant variation between countries along the different dimensions of energy justice. The study also emphasizes the importance of further testing and of improving data quality for informed policy making of energy justice issues in the Global South.

Suggested Citation

  • Apergi, Maria & Eicke, Laima & Goldthau, Andreas & Hashem, Mustafa & Huneeus, Sebastián & Lima de Oliveira, Renato & Otieno, Maureen & Schuch, Esther & Veit, Konstantin, 2024. "An energy justice index for the energy transition in the global South," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:192:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123010961
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.114238
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123010961
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114238?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Heffron, Raphael J. & McCauley, Darren, 2017. "The concept of energy justice across the disciplines," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 658-667.
    2. Goldthau, Andreas & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2012. "The uniqueness of the energy security, justice, and governance problem," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 232-240.
    3. Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Dworkin, Michael H., 2015. "Energy justice: Conceptual insights and practical applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 435-444.
    4. Iddrisu, Insah & Bhattacharyya, Subhes C., 2015. "Sustainable Energy Development Index: A multi-dimensional indicator for measuring sustainable energy development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 513-530.
    5. Heffron, Raphael J. & McCauley, Darren & de Rubens, Gerardo Zarazua, 2018. "Balancing the energy trilemma through the Energy Justice Metric," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 1191-1201.
    6. Lappe-Osthege, Teresa & Andreas, Jan-Justus, 2017. "Energy justice and the legacy of conflict: Assessing the Kosovo C thermal power plant project," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 600-606.
    7. Kruyt, Bert & van Vuuren, D.P. & de Vries, H.J.M. & Groenenberg, H., 2009. "Indicators for energy security," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2166-2181, June.
    8. Steckel, Jan Christoph & Brecha, Robert J. & Jakob, Michael & Strefler, Jessica & Luderer, Gunnar, 2013. "Development without energy? Assessing future scenarios of energy consumption in developing countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 53-67.
    9. von Hippel, David & Suzuki, Tatsujiro & Williams, James H. & Savage, Timothy & Hayes, Peter, 2011. "Energy security and sustainability in Northeast Asia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 6719-6730.
    10. Benjamin K. Sovacool & Raphael J. Heffron & Darren McCauley & Andreas Goldthau, 2016. "Energy decisions reframed as justice and ethical concerns," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(5), pages 1-6, May.
    11. Vera, Ivan & Langlois, Lucille, 2007. "Energy indicators for sustainable development," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 875-882.
    12. Munro, Paul & van der Horst, Greg & Healy, Stephen, 2017. "Energy justice for all? Rethinking Sustainable Development Goal 7 through struggles over traditional energy practices in Sierra Leone," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 635-641.
    13. Yenneti, Komali & Day, Rosie, 2015. "Procedural (in)justice in the implementation of solar energy: The case of Charanaka solar park, Gujarat, India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 664-673.
    14. Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2013. "An international assessment of energy security performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 148-158.
    15. Oh, Tick Hui & Hasanuzzaman, Md & Selvaraj, Jeyraj & Teo, Siew Chein & Chua, Shing Chyi, 2018. "Energy policy and alternative energy in Malaysia: Issues and challenges for sustainable growth – An update," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 3021-3031.
    16. Ang, B.W. & Choong, W.L. & Ng, T.S., 2015. "Energy security: Definitions, dimensions and indexes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1077-1093.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zaman, Rafia & Brudermann, Thomas, 2018. "Energy governance in the context of energy service security: A qualitative assessment of the electricity system in Bangladesh," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C), pages 443-456.
    2. Skare, Marinko & Qian, Yu & Xu, Zeshui & Gou, Xunjie, 2024. "Energy justice and gaps in sustainable development: A convergence testing and clustering study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    3. Jayapalan, C. & Ganesh, L.S., 2019. "Environmentalists and their conflicts with Energy Justice – Concept of “Power-Environ” in the Athirappilly HEPP in Kerala," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 215-229.
    4. Li, Yingzhu & Shi, Xunpeng & Yao, Lixia, 2016. "Evaluating energy security of resource-poor economies: A modified principle component analysis approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 211-221.
    5. Castán Broto, Vanesa & Baptista, Idalina & Kirshner, Joshua & Smith, Shaun & Neves Alves, Susana, 2018. "Energy justice and sustainability transitions in Mozambique," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 645-655.
    6. Evgeny Lisin & Wadim Strielkowski & Veronika Chernova & Alena Fomina, 2018. "Assessment of the Territorial Energy Security in the Context of Energy Systems Integration," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-14, November.
    7. Arturo Medina-Cabrera & Francisco Ortiz-Arango & Francisco Venegas-Martínez, 2023. "The Importance of implementing Energy Justice and Energy Democracy Principles in Energy Projects in Mexico," Remef - Revista Mexicana de Economía y Finanzas Nueva Época REMEF (The Mexican Journal of Economics and Finance), Instituto Mexicano de Ejecutivos de Finanzas, IMEF, vol. 18(1), pages 1-19, Enero - M.
    8. Healy, Noel & Barry, John, 2017. "Politicizing energy justice and energy system transitions: Fossil fuel divestment and a “just transition”," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 451-459.
    9. Pratama, Yoga Wienda & Purwanto, Widodo Wahyu & Tezuka, Tetsuo & McLellan, Benjamin Craig & Hartono, Djoni & Hidayatno, Akhmad & Daud, Yunus, 2017. "Multi-objective optimization of a multiregional electricity system in an archipelagic state: The role of renewable energy in energy system sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 423-439.
    10. Alford-Jones, Kelsey, 2022. "How injustice can lead to energy policy failure: A case study from Guatemala," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C).
    11. Zhang, Long & Bai, Wuliyasu & Xiao, Huijuan & Ren, Jingzheng, 2021. "Measuring and improving regional energy security: A methodological framework based on both quantitative and qualitative analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    12. Wang, Deqing & Tian, Sihua & Fang, Lei & Xu, Yan, 2020. "A functional index model for dynamically evaluating China's energy security," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    13. Feenstra, Mariëlle & Özerol, Gül, 2021. "Energy justice as a search light for gender-energy nexus: Towards a conceptual framework," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    14. Tete, Komlan H.S. & Soro, Y.M. & Sidibé, S.S. & Jones, Rory V., 2023. "Assessing energy security within the electricity sector in the West African economic and monetary union: Inter-country performances and trends analysis with policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    15. Molyneaux, Lynette & Brown, Colin & Wagner, Liam & Foster, John, 2016. "Measuring resilience in energy systems: Insights from a range of disciplines," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 1068-1079.
    16. Relva, Stefania Gomes & Silva, Vinícius Oliveira da & Gimenes, André Luiz Veiga & Udaeta, Miguel Edgar Morales & Ashworth, Peta & Peyerl, Drielli, 2021. "Enhancing developing countries’ transition to a low-carbon electricity sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    17. Tutak, Magdalena & Brodny, Jarosław, 2022. "Analysis of the level of energy security in the three seas initiative countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    18. Dillman, K.J. & Heinonen, J., 2022. "A ‘just’ hydrogen economy: A normative energy justice assessment of the hydrogen economy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    19. Debin Fang & Shanshan Shi & Qian Yu, 2018. "Evaluation of Sustainable Energy Security and an Empirical Analysis of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-23, May.
    20. Karatayev, Marat & Hall, Stephen, 2020. "Establishing and comparing energy security trends in resource-rich exporting nations (Russia and the Caspian Sea region)," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:192:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123010961. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.