The energy sector’s role in addressing climate change is undeniable. Accounting for over 73.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, the transition will require the engagement of all...Show moreThe energy sector’s role in addressing climate change is undeniable. Accounting for over 73.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, the transition will require the engagement of all stakeholders, from citizens to industry leaders. Trade-offs in terms of sustainable development, energy equity and energy security have led to increased calls for the grounding of policy in principles of justice to ensure a societally benefitial transition for all. However, the issue is complexified by the notion that reduced inequalities with regards to one principle of justice can aggreative inequalities within other justice principles. Thus, there is a need to evaluate energy transition policy from a comprehensive justice perspective. This study conducts qualitiative content analysis of Swedish national energy policies and climate action plans in the time period 2018-2024 from a comprehensive energy justice lens. It furthers the literature on energy justice by investigating to what extent Swedish national energy transition policy advances comprehensive energy justice. Building on pervious research the comprehensive energy justice framework encompasses principles of procedural justice, distributional justice, recognition justice and restorative justice. Contrary to the theoretical expectation, the findings show that comprehensive energy justice has not been advanced in the investigated time period.Show less
The Paris Clime Agreement in 2015 and the subsequent European Deal have put considerable pressure on countries to quicken the pace of their renewable energy transition. To keep global warming under...Show moreThe Paris Clime Agreement in 2015 and the subsequent European Deal have put considerable pressure on countries to quicken the pace of their renewable energy transition. To keep global warming under 1,5 degrees Celcius and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030, the Dutch government published the national Climate Agreement in 2019. This document shifts the responsibility to draw up and implement a Regional Energy Strategy (RES) to 30 designated regions. However, the process of the RES has exposed issues of social injustices caused by the energy transition, leading to protests, social unrest a decline in public support for policies in local communities. This social dimension of energy justice in the energy transition tends to be overlooked by scholars and policymakers. By integrating the notion of multi-level governance with the concept of energy justice and its three core tenets - procedural, distributional and recognition justice - this thesis develops a novel conceptual framework to fill this gap and analyse energy justice in the energy transition in the Achterhoek region in the Netherlands. It explores the research question: How do various stakeholders at different levels of governance address energy justice in the case of the Achterhoek region in the Netherlands? It finds that energy justice measures are relatively integrated across each level of governance, with a predominant focus on (financial) participation measures. Moreover, it finds that the context in which energy justice is shaped is highly dynamic in which stakeholders interact and influence each other across levels of governance through extensive policy networks. Rather than a static phenomenon that can be analysed in isolated spheres of governance, the current thesis emphasises the highly dynamic and multi-level nature of energy justice.Show less
