Just energy transitions to low carbon economies: A review of the concept and its effects on labour and income

García-García, Pablo; Carpintero, Óscar; Buendía, Luis

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2020.101664

Cited by 106 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…However, economic theory suggests that increases in prices of consumer goods or services impact consumers differently depending on their individual preferences and income situation 5,6 . Creedy 7 and García-García et al 8 demonstrate that this principle also applies to electricity. The lower the consumer's income, the higher his or her relative share of income allocated for expenditures on electricity and vice versa.…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 97%

Energy transition and social justice: Do renewable energy levies have an impact on income distribution and energy poverty?

Priesmann

Spiegelburg

Madlener

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Energy systems are decidedly the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Therefore, transitioning them from fossil to renewable systems is a top priority for societies committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, such transitions involve substantial costs. In many cases, these costs are proportionally passed on to final energy consumers through levies on their electricity consumption. In our paper, we investigate the impacts of renewable support levies on social justice or, more specifically, on income inequality. For our study, we chose Germany where inflation-adjusted electricity prices for private households increased substantially because of such a levy for renewables. We base our analyses on representative household panel data with over 40,000 households from 2003 to 2018. Our results indicate that indiscriminate renewable support levies on electricity consumption increase income inequality and energy poverty. For our case in 2018, renewable support levies alone led to a relative increase of ~0.23% of the Gini coefficient and ~11.31% of the high cost low income (HCLI) energy poverty indicator measuring energy poverty intensity. Based on our findings, we propose a reform of the renewable support levy and analyze three options: (1) the abolition of the levy, (2) levies which are income-progressive proportionally to the income taxes, and (3) a high and flat levy in conjunction with an income-degressive compensation payment. Our ex-post analyses for 2018 indicate that a reformed levy system would have slightly decreased overall income inequality with relative decreases of ~0.23%, ~0.32%, and ~0.59% of the Gini coefficient for options (1), (2), and (3), respectively. But more importantly, such a system would have substantially decreased energy poverty by ~11.31%, ~30.45%, and ~31.45% for the HCLI energy poverty indicator for options (1), (2), and (3), respectively.

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Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 97%

Energy transition and social justice: Do renewable energy levies have an impact on income distribution and energy poverty?

Priesmann

Spiegelburg

Madlener

et al. 2021

Preprint

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show abstract

“…In addition, considering justice in the energy transition framework implies building an outlook to energy as a right (BERTINAT, 2016). According to García-García et al (2020) the central concept of Just Energy Transition is "energy justice", which is separated into: distributive justice, the way in which society shares the positive and negative effects of energy politics, procedural justice, the participation of actor in the process of the development of policy, and recognitional justice, the involvement of limitation to groups negatively affected. As a consequence, the authors define Just Energy Transition as a technological and socio eco-nomic process of a structural change in the long time.…”

Section: Figure N°1: Electric Coverage -Access To Electricity (% Of the Total Population)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a consequence, the authors define Just Energy Transition as a technological and socio eco-nomic process of a structural change in the long time. This process affects the generation, distribution, storage and use of energy, while the wished socioeconomic functions can be fulfilled through decarbonized and renewable means of production and consumption of energy protecting social justice, equity and welfare (GARCÍA-GARCÍA et al, 2020). Therefore, the policies that look for the objective of JET, will make it possible to include traditionally excluded populations, boost the spilling effects of the energy dimension in the rest of the relevant dimensions of the social inclusion processes, a better behavior of the environmental dimension and its correlation with health.…”

Section: Figure N°1: Electric Coverage -Access To Electricity (% Of the Total Population)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy poverty: conceptualization and its link to exclusion. Brief review for Latin America

2021

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Energy is a critical input for any socioeconomic system and it has become a central point in sustainable development worldwide. Energy deprivation in its various degrees has given rise to the term Energy Poverty. The deprivations in access and quality of energy services sustained over time are elements that generate social exclusion processes and limit the development of the countries with these characteristics. The aim of this paper is to deepen the conceptual discussion of energy poverty and exclusion and the background regarding its measurement, as well as its link with the Just Energy Transition. Descriptive statistics are explored to assess the situation in the Latin American region. It is concluded that the limitations in access to basic energy services are significant, affecting more severely the population of countries with a low level of output and less socioeconomically favored.

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“…The conviction that a just transition also includes gender justice is fortunately becoming more widespread [17]. However, research looking at the social outcome of low-carbon transitions is often limited to calculating net employment effects [20]. Therefore, based on our research results and as the third step (see Figure 1) of our research approach, we develop a research agenda.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strengthening Gender Justice in a Just Transition: A Research Agenda Based on a Systematic Map of Gender in Coal Transitions

et al. 2021

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For climate change mitigation, a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels such as coal is necessary. This has far-reaching gender-specific consequences. This paper presents a systematic map of the literature that examines the impact of historical coal phase-out processes on women and their role in these processes. The search process consisted of screening over 3100 abstracts and reading 247 full-text studies. The analysis of the 73 publications ultimately included in the systematic map shows that past coal phase-outs meant both opportunities (e.g., increased labour market participation) as well as burdens for women (e.g., double burden of job and household). It becomes clear that agency within coal transitions was also gendered. For example, it was difficult for women to gain access to union structures, which led them to organise themselves into grassroots movements. Our research shows that policies aiming for a just sustainability transition should always be explicitly gender-responsive. However, the impact of sustainability transitions on women’s lives remains largely under-researched. Therefore, we propose a research agenda based on our findings containing six key issues that need to be addressed scientifically.

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Just energy transitions to low carbon economies: A review of the concept and its effects on labour and income

Cited by 106 publications

References 71 publications

Energy transition and social justice: Do renewable energy levies have an impact on income distribution and energy poverty?

Energy transition and social justice: Do renewable energy levies have an impact on income distribution and energy poverty?

Energy poverty: conceptualization and its link to exclusion. Brief review for Latin America

Strengthening Gender Justice in a Just Transition: A Research Agenda Based on a Systematic Map of Gender in Coal Transitions

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