Energy decisions reframed as justice and ethical concerns
Date
06/05/2016Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
All too often, energy policy and technology discussions are limited to the domains of engineering and economics. Many energy consumers, and even analysts and policymakers, confront and frame energy and climate risks in a moral vacuum, rarely incorporating broader social justice concerns. Here, to remedy this gap, we investigate how concepts from justice and ethics can inform energy decision-making by reframing five energy problems—nuclear waste, involuntary resettlement, energy pollution, energy poverty, and climate change—as pressing justice concerns. We conclude by proposing an energy justice framework centred on availability, affordability, due process, transparency and accountability, sustainability, equity, and responsibility, which highlights the futurity, fairness, and equity dimensions of energy production and use.
Citation
Sovacool , B , Heffron , R , McCauley , D & Goldthau , A 2016 , ' Energy decisions reframed as justice and ethical concerns ' , Nature Energy , vol. 1 , 16024 . https://doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.24
Publication
Nature Energy
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
2058-7546Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2016, the Authors. This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nenergy.2016.24
Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.