Justice, development and the land: the social context of Scotland’s energy transition

Abstract

Scotland, like many other countries, is undergoing a transition to renewable energy. This paper discusses the social context within which this transition is taking place and which is conditioning the possibilities for energy development and its effects on people. In particular, the paper explores historically-rooted conflicts relating to land rights and wild land protection, considering these issues and their relationship to energy development in terms of landscape justice (i.e. the principle of fairness in the ways people relate to the landscape and to each other through the landscape). Pursuing a more just settlement between people and landscape is often a matter of understanding problematic pasts and working to overcome their harmful legacies. It is argued that there is an important role for heritage practice in helping to deliver energy development which takes the historical, social and cultural context more fully into account and thereby helps to bring about a more just settlement between people and the landscape.

The disappearance of public paths in Spain and its impact on landscape justice

“…Unequal access to the benefits of nature, wealth and the means of production, or to attaining appropriate representation in the management of the land (cf. Dalglish et al, 2018;Jorgensen, 2016), would arguably engender landscapes of injustice (cf. instances from S. Egoz & Nardi, 2017).…”

Towards a theory of just transition: A neo-Gramscian understanding of how to shift development pathways to zero poverty and zero carbon

“…Just transitions differ across countries and local context, reflected in a growing literature considering for example, coal in Australia and South Africa, and land issues in Scotland [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] . In the South African context, descriptions of a just transition includes a broader economic and social targets, recognizing that fossil-fuel economy transformation impacts will affect across regions and the economy [51] .…”

Just Transition for Workers and Communities in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire: Rapid Evidence Review

“…Applying historical justice in Torry and elsewhere would introduce an "assessment process, requiring the analysis not just of the material heritage of a landscape but the historical processes which, over time, have created people's current relationships and interactions with their surroundings". 138 For a place so close to energy infrastructure (oil and gas & renewables), Aberdeen and Shire paradoxically have a lot of people living in fuel poverty. In 2010, around 16.6% of the City's residents spent 10-15% of disposable income on heating, 6.3% -spend 15-20%, 5.6% -spend 20% or greater.…”