Discourses on Sustainability: Climate Change, Clean Energy, and Justice

272 Pages·2020·5.986 MB·English

by  Elena V. Shabliy, Dmitry Kurochkin, Martha J. Crawford

Discourses on
Sustainability
Climate Change,
Clean Energy, and Justice
Edited by
Elena V. Shabliy · Dmitry Kurochkin ·
Martha J. Crawford
Discourses on Sustainability
“Calls for sustainability—including sustainable development and sustainable
peacebuilding—have become more forceful in recent years in response to
past, present, and anticipated environmental crises, especially those brought
about by human-induced climate change. Concomitant have been demands
forjustice—climatejustice,distributionaljustice,energyjustice,environmental
justice, procedural justice, social justice, and the protection of human rights.
As Dmitry Kurochkin and Elena V. Shabliy assert in the introduction to this
powerfulvolume,human-inducedclimatechangehaswidenedextantsocialand
economic inequality and injustice; global climate change cannot be mitigated
without ensuring justice for all.”
“The eight chapters of Discourses on Sustainability: Climate Change, Clean
Energy, and Justice compellingly introduce readers to a variety of narratives
on sustainability, climate change, and energy politics from Sweden, Australia,
eastern Russia (Yakutia), Uganda, Turkey, and India, as well as from a more
global perspective. Also noteworthy about this volume is the diversity of
contributors—scholarshailingfromAustralia,Canada,Finland,India,Sweden,
theUnitedKingdom,theUnitedStates,theVirginIslands,andthepublicand
private sectors. Together they reveal how much has been done but also how
much we still need to do to strengthen national efforts and increase inter-
national support and global cooperation for mitigating climate change and
shattering inequality.”
—Karen L.Thornber, HarryTuchman Levin Professor in Literature and
Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
· ·
Elena V. Shabliy Dmitry Kurochkin
Martha J. Crawford
Editors
Discourses
on Sustainability
Climate Change, Clean Energy, and
Justice
Editors
ElenaV. Shabliy Dmitry Kurochkin
Harvard University Harvard University
Cambridge, MA, USA Cambridge, MA, USA
Martha J. Crawford
JackWelch College of Business &
Technology
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT, USA
ISBN 978-3-030-53120-1 ISBN 978-3-030-53121-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53121-8
©The Editor(s) (if applicable) andThe Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2020
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher,
whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,
reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical
way,andtransmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,
or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceof aspecific statement,thatsuch namesareexempt
from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthis
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained
herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.The publisher remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
ThisPalgraveMacmillanimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSwitzerland
AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Foreword
The adoption of the Paris Agreement’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions by every country in the world indicates the extent of atten-
tion to climate change. While signing an international accord does not
commit a country to concrete action, it is a strong indication of the
recognition of climate change as an issue that needs to be addressed and
aninterestindoingso.Asignificantstepinmeetingtheemissionreduc-
tiontargetsneededtoreducefutureincreases inglobaltemperatureswill
be to develop a cleaner energy sector. As described by former United
States President Obama, the Paris Agreement “sends a powerful signal
that the world is firmly committed to a low-carbon future. And that has
the potential to unleash investment and innovation in clean energy at a
scale we have never seen before.”1
Scaling up clean energy can contribute to climate change goals,
directly to the mitigation objective of reducing emissions so as to
controlfutureincreasesintemperatures,andindirectlytoadaptationand
resiliency measures by reducing theimpacts of climate changes. Looking
beyond climate change, there are also economic opportunities as new
industries and work forces develop to fulfill the demands of a clean
v
vi Foreword
energy sector. How programs that mandate or support movement away
from fossil fuels are designed will affect the extent to which new oppor-
tunities can offset negative impacts, such as job losses, that come from
this shift.
At the same time, there is a need to ensure that the transition away
fromfossilfuelsanddevelopmentofthecleanenergysectorisequitable.
Adding this layer of analysis can be difficult in an already complicated
decision-making process. As Judith Herbst and Deanna Grant-Smith
note in Chapter 3, responding to climate change and ensuring energy
security are often framed as competing policy interests. As the essays in
thisbookillustrate,advancingthesegoalssimultaneouslyrequiresdiverse
partnershipsandintegratingequitableconcernsmayimplicateadditional
challenges and opportunities.
Inthiscontext,severalofthebook’sauthorsdiscusshowequitycanbe
measured from many perspectives; three that are commonly discussed in
theclimatechangecontextareenvironmentaljustice,energyjustice,and
climate change justice.These have commonalities in their goals, such as
lookingtoprotectmembersofsocietythatmay(i)bemostatrisk,either
from harm from pollution, lack of access to energy, or negative impacts
ofclimatechange,but(ii)oftenhavelesscontribution,onaverage,tothe
source of the risk. Similarly, each approach to equity may try to redress
both historic and ongoing disparities in distributions of risks and access
to benefits.
While there are similarities between these forms of equity, there can
also be differences, ranging from the people they seek to protect, the
harms they seek to avoid, and the strategies they employ to achieve
fair results. For example, environmental justice policies typically seek
to protect or assist people at the community level, defining protected
neighborhoodsbyreferencetofactorssuchasincomelevelsandpercent-
ages of minorities, foreign-born residents, and/or non-English speakers.
However, this approach may not be sufficient to protect individuals in
their role as energy consumers as opposed to in their role as commu-
nity members. Wealthy communities can have residents with income
levels below designated poverty levels who would need assistance with
their energy bills; this is particularly true in countries that mandate
Foreword vii
or incentive broad dispersion of affordable housing. Even when propo-
nents of environmental protection and clean energy seek to protect the
same people, they may disagree on what that means. To promote equi-
table solutions and innovations, advocates, and decision-makers should
consider both environmental and energy equity perspectives in order to
identify and take advantage of synergies and resolve potential conflicts.
Because energy justice is a newer concept, its framework is discussed
briefly here.
Energy justice can be measured at many levels. At perhaps thehighest
level, a fundamental question of equity is whether everyone has access
to the basic level of energy that modern society deems necessary for
purposes of safety, health, and economic growth. As impacts of climate
change lead to greater fluctuations in temperature this baseline need for
energy may increase to meet growing needs for air conditioning and
heating. This step in the equity analysis is particularly relevant when
considering energy justice from a global perspective. According to the
World Bank, approximately 11% of the world’s population did not have
access to electricity in 2017, with a more significant lack in rural than
urban areas.2 From a purely economic standpoint, the historical appli-
cation of this principle would have frequently focused on access to the
lowest-costformsofenergy.Whenstartingfromaconcernaboutclimate
change, this analysis may look beyond direct costs to account for envi-
ronmental implications, including long-term ability to adapt to climate
change impacts. While this could increase benefits, it could also lead to
higher costs, even if only temporarily, for some or all energy consumers.
The next stage of an energy justice analysis may consider the direct
costofaccesstoenergy,i.e.,thepurchaseprice.Aproxyforthisissueisa
consumer’s, or household’s, energy burden. From an economic perspec-
tive, energy burdens refer to the percentage of income households spend
on energy costs. Studies in the United States indicate that low-income
householdsgenerallyhavehigherenergyburdensthanotherhouseholds,
primarilybecausetheirincomeislowerbutalsobecausetheirhomestend
tobeolderandlessenergy-efficient.3Energyburdensareproblematicnot
justbecauseoftheirabsolutecostsbutbecausetheycanalsoforcehouse-
holds to make tradeoffs between energy and other basic provisions, like
food, medicine, and rent, that can jeopardize health, safety, and housing
viii Foreword
stability. Energy burdens could be particularly significant as the world
works to close energy gaps in less developed regions; high infrastructure
costs to reach remote areas would, unless subsidized by a government,
be passed on to consumers in the price of their energy. This is just one
reason that looking beyond traditional systems is important as we think
howtobuildacleanenergysectorthatcansupportclimatechangegoals
while also promoting equity.
The third phase of an energy justice analysis may evaluate the nega-
tive impacts and benefits, and potential co-benefits, associated with the
energyavailabletodifferentindividuals.Thisentailsconsideringthetype
of energy to which people have access, i.e., whether the underlying fuel
is coal, oil, or some other fossil fuel versus a renewable source such as
solar,wind,orhydro.Inmanyways,notallenergyiscreatedequal.Fuel
type can have impacts, both negative and positive, related to issues such
as reliability, public health, the environment, and local economies. For
example, a neighborhood powered solely by solar panels may have less
air pollution than a community powered by a coal plant, but may have
moreinterruptionsinpowerduetotheintermittentnatureofrenewables
(unless paired with storage technologies). Evaluation of impacts should
look beyond fuel choice and generation and also consider the impacts of
supportinginfrastructure,suchastransmissionanddistributionsystems.
For instance, the public health and environmental impacts of natural
gas pipelines and wind turbines are different, and solar power via indi-
vidual rooftop systems versus community “gardens” present different
opportunities for consumer participation.
Afinalelementofanenergyjusticeanalysismayconsiderthecompar-
ative distribution of the negative aspects of energy choices and access to
benefits associated with the energy system. This differs from the third
step’s consideration of absolute impacts of the energy sector on indi-
viduals. Such benefits could take the form of reduced environmental
impacts, greater control over electricity usage, or reduced bills. Applying
this principle may require considering whether costs and benefits should
be distributed equally to all consumers, proportionally based on contri-
butions to cost, or disproportionately favoring those consumers most
Foreword ix
unable to afford costs or most “in need” of the benefits. When discre-
tionaryactionsresultinbenefits,systemsshouldbedesignedtoenableas
many people as possible to take the beneficial actions.
Putting these together, the substantive goals of energy justice could
include:
1.Assuring access to reliable sources of energy;
2.Avoidingandreducingenergyburdens,particularlydisparateburdens,
on low-income consumers;
3.Minimizing the imposition and disproportionate distribution of
the costs or negative impacts associated with building, operating,
and maintaining energy generation, transmission, and distribution
systems; and
4.Providing equitable distribution of and access to real benefits asso-
ciated with building, operating, and maintaining energy generation,
transmission, and distribution systems.
While all aspects of this framework are worthy objectives, simultane-
ously making progress on all principles will not always be possible, but
acknowledging what we can and cannot accomplish is still an important
step.
This energy justice framework focuses on substantive/distributive
justiceasopposedtoprocedural/participatoryrights.Butasseveralofthe
essays in this book illustrate, implementing a clean energy system that
integrates equitable goals requires input from many sectors, including
legislative bodies and agencies at all levels of government, courts, the
public, advocacy groups, and the private sector. This need for coordi-
nation and broad support underscores the value in addressing equity
with respect to participation in relevant decision-making. Ability to
participate requires both opportunities to do so and capacity. Devel-
oping a clean energy sector involves complex issues; improving energy
literacy can support more informed participation in decision-making by
all participants, including advocacy groups and individuals.
Themovetoacleanerenergysectorisanimportantstepinaddressing
climate change that raises fundamental questions about how to balance
innovationwithcoststoindividuals. Ifapproached withaproactivegoal
x Foreword
of addressing issues of equity, this transition presents opportunities to
create systems that learn from prior practice and iteratively improve the
equitable impacts of the energy sector.
Aladdine Joroff
Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic
Harvard Law School
Cambridge, USA
Notes
1. Statement by the President on the Paris Climate Agreement (Dec.
12, 2015) https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2015/
12/12/statement-president-paris-climate-agreement.
2. World Bank, Access to Electricity (% of population), https://data.worldb
ank.org/indicator/EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS.
3. Rental households also experience higher energy burdens. See, e.g., Ariel
Drehobl & Lauren Ross, American Council for an Energy-Efficient
Economy, Lifting the High Energy Burden in America’s Largest Cities:
How Energy Efficiency Can Improve Low Income and Underserved
Communities 12 (2016).
Aladdine Joroff practices environmental law at Harvard Law School’s
Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic with a focus on climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategies for municipalities and environmental and
energyjustice.Shealsoteachesenvironmentallawandpolicycoursesatseveral
of Harvard University’s schools.