Energy Justice—The First Step in an Energy Decision Today

Abstract

The first step in any energy decision today should be how to factor in energy justice. This will have the result of ensuring that there is a just outcome for society. One powerful effect of placing energy justice at the forefront for all decision-makers will be that it can balance the 3Rs which are ‘Risk, Reward, and Responsibility’. Ensuring justice is applied across these 3Rs will ensure that a decision-maker has future-proofed their decision and in due course they can therefore demonstrate their accountability and process in their decision-making. The balancing of these 3Rs can provide the platform for developing what will be the new social contract between energy sector stakeholders. A new social contract is vital for taking energy justice further into decision-making in society.

1 Introduction

The potential power of energy justice is clear when one considers that research shows the energy sector is responsible for the majority of carbon dioxide emissions. It has taken far too much time for society to realise this and act. There are of course many barriers placed in front of any potential actions. These arise due to corporate and personal greed, corruption and misinformation, and political inaction about the price and/or subsidies of and for energy sources to name a few.

This is the opening chapter to this book overall, and it aims to open this book which is centred on short contributions from scholars across the world on the ‘Power of Energy Justice’. Each author (or in some cases authors collaborated) has chosen an issue where they can see the power of energy justice having a transformative effect.

For me, it is an honour to write alongside the range of colleagues who have contributed to this book. In this chapter, I focus on where energy justice could have a significant impact for me. This is where at first instance when any decision on energy is about to be made in policy terms then justice should be an immediate consideration. If more energy ‘just’ decisions were made, then there would be less environmental impacts and less of a contribution to climate change from energy activities. Overall, this would decrease the injustices in terms of environmental and climate justice issues.

2 Challenges to Overcome

As stated at first instance when making an energy decision, part of the initial debate on that decision should begin with justice. Unfortunately, at the moment, that has not been the case. Over the years, there has been too much focus on corporate profiteering, revenue raising and personal greed. I have often used the quote from a mining economist who latterly went into teaching at universities to highlight this. This economist stated that the major focus of economics in relation to mining (which includes all the extractives industries) should be profitability. Further, he added that any social objective and even an environmental one for a mining company are ‘self-deluding’.¹ That quote is very revealing as that is how many decision-makers were thinking and still represents to this day what happens in the energy sector.

This economist was still working at a university in the United Kingdom (UK) and he sadly is not alone. There are others that continue to promote the exploitation of fossil fuels worldwide because it benefits their personal greed. This is ironically very evident in the legal community where lawyers are willing to accept high fees for inadequate advice about the impacts and consequences of climate change. Many academics in law choose to be out of date rather than addressing the challenges of sustainability, environmental impacts and climate change when developing their curricula.

A more recent case is how the Harvard University academic Jody Freeman has been receiving $350,000 per year (plus) from an infamous United States (US) international energy company.² This is directly a conflict of interest, and the university should have been doing more to promote energy, environmental and climate teaching and research so that students could have a balanced view in their education. Justice needs to be the part of the first discussion on all these courses and more broadly when it is discussed on society.

3 Resolving Challenges Will Lead to an Accelerated Just Society

Strong leadership is required in order to resolve the challenge of what is in essence the need to change the status quo in terms of decision-making. What is commendable in this regard for me is in the US where the US Department of Energy has made justice in energy and environmental decision-making as necessary in the project design.³ This is the type of action that needs to be replicated throughout society when energy decision-making begins. Further, we are beginning to see justice action in policy development too in Colombia as it advances its policy on a just energy transition.

This corresponds really with actions by the United Nations which in a fascinating report discusses ‘future-proofing’.⁴ I have taken this term further and linked it directly with corporate strategy.⁵ The definition of future-proofing is that in the future, they can state at that a particular point in time in the past, they relied on existing best-practice (including scientific data, risk management strategy, environmental impact data, consideration of alternatives, etc.) to inform their decision-making.⁶ What this practice of future-proofing will result in is in the practice of justice at first instance. Decision-makers will have to ensure that ‘justice’ is in their mindset from the outset. This crosses into the ethical mindset of the individual, and far more research on this has to happen into the future.

4 Conclusion—Balancing the ‘3Rs’

One powerful effect of energy justice for all decision-makers will be that energy justice can balance the 3Rs which are ‘Risk, Reward, and Responsibility’. For all decision-makers in energy whether in politics, in a public or private company and a leader of a local community, achieving a balance between the 3Rs’s is fundamental. Ensuring justice is applied across these 3Rs will ensure that a decision-maker as future-proofed their decision and in due course they can therefore demonstrate their accountability and process in their decision-making.

Figure 1.1 demonstrates the 3Rs in practice and highlights which forms of energy justice are relevant for achieving each of them in turn.

Fig. 1.1

(Source Created by Raphael Heffron [2023])

Achieving the 3Rs and energy justice

The balancing of these 3Rs can provide the platform for developing what will be the new social contract between energy sector stakeholders. A new social contract is vital for taking energy justice further into decision-making in society.⁷