Beyond the Energy Transition and Towards a Just Transition

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Regional Approaches to the Energy Transition

Abstract

In this work we discuss how the energy transition is a multilevel challenge that must be conceptualized using the energy justice metric. From the Paris Agreement to the most recent European Union policies, energy justice is emerging as the leading energy principle that must guide and shape energy transition public policies. Adopting a comparative perspective, we see that governments are attempting to establish long- term energy policies, and they are beginning to recognize the opportunity to rewrite these objectives using the energy justice metric in order to identify problems and to propose potential solutions to make the energy transition fair and equitable. We discuss why the energy justice principle is important and the impact it can have on a just transition for the entire world.

Raphael James Heffron, Professor of Energy Justice and the Social Contract & EU Jean Monnet Professor in the Just Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy.

Luigi Maria Pepe, PhD at Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli. Lecturing in Comparative Constitutional Law and Environmental Law and Security.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    World Energy Trilemma Index 2020 (worldenergy.org, 2020) https://www.worldenergy.org/assets/downloads/World_Energy_Trilemma_Index_2020_-_REPORT.pdf, accessed 24 February 2021.

  2. 2.

    Heffron (2021a). See also for the Italian edition Heffron (2021b), p. 224.

  3. 3.

    Pérez et al. (2019).

  4. 4.

    Legrand (1996), pp. 234 ss.

  5. 5.

    Cordini et al. (2017).

  6. 6.

    Frosini (2019).

  7. 7.

    1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development adopted 14 June 1992.

  8. 8.

    1997 The Kyoto Protocol (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

  9. 9.

    Boer (2019).

  10. 10.

    Vasconcelos (2017), p. 22.

  11. 11.

    Manga (2018), pp. 309–338.

  12. 12.

    Conference of the Parties (COP) (unfcc.int) https://unfccc.int/process/bodies/supreme-bodies/conference-of-the-parties-cop, accessed 26 February 2021.

  13. 13.

    Montini (2017), p. 179.

  14. 14.

    Petteruti (2020), p. 256.

  15. 15.

    Pepe (2020), p. 51.

  16. 16.

    Ibid.

  17. 17.

    Pepe (2019), p. 9.

  18. 18.

    Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for France (ec.europa.eu, March 2020) https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/fr_final_necp_main_en.pdf, accessed 25 February 2021.

  19. 19.

    Colella (2019).

  20. 20.

    The 13th Act amending the Atomic Energy Act (Atomgesetz—AtG) adopted on 30 June 2011.

  21. 21.

    Haas (2019), pp. 200–210.

  22. 22.

    Reusswig et al. (2016), pp. 214–227.

  23. 23.

    The costs of nuclear phase-out in Germany (Toulouse School of Economy, 19 February 2020) https://www.tse-fr.eu/costs-nuclear-phase-out-germany, accessed 26 February 2021.

  24. 24.

    Van Boxstael et al. (2020), pp. 466–484.

  25. 25.

    Ibid.

  26. 26.

    Sorman et al. (2020).

  27. 27.

    Ibid.

  28. 28.

    Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan for Spain 2021–2030 (20 January 2020) https://ec.europa.eu/energy/sites/ener/files/documents/es_final_necp_main_en.pdf, accessed 26 February 2021.

  29. 29.

    Pepe (2021).

  30. 30.

    S. Tagliapietra, The European climate law needs a strong just transition fund, (2020) Bruegel-Blogs, accessed 26 February 2021.

  31. 31.

    Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Just Transition Fund (ec.europe.eu, January2020) file:///C:/Downloads/Proposal_for_a_regulation_establishing_the_Just_Transition_Fund_and_annexes_EN.pdf.pdf, accessed 26 February 2021.

  32. 32.

    Ibid.

  33. 33.

    Cameron et al. (2020).

  34. 34.

    Claeys et al. (2019).

  35. 35.

    Claeys and Sapir (2018).

  36. 36.

    Loock (2020).

  37. 37.

    Mengelkamp et al. (2018), pp. 870–880.

  38. 38.

    Ibid.

  39. 39.

    Jenkins et al. (2016), pp. 174–182.

  40. 40.

    McCauley et al. (2013), p. 3.

  41. 41.

    Sovacool et al. (2016), p. 5.

  42. 42.

    Jenkins et al. (2016).

  43. 43.

    Walker (2009), pp. 614–636.

  44. 44.

    Ibid.

  45. 45.

    Heffron and McCauley (2014), pp. 435–437.

  46. 46.

    Heffron (2020), pp. 855–863.

  47. 47.

    Ibid.

  48. 48.

    Kumm (2009), p. 69.

  49. 49.

    Nordhaus (2016).

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Heffron, R.J., Pepe, L.M. (2023). Beyond the Energy Transition and Towards a Just Transition. In: Gromek-Broc, K. (eds) Regional Approaches to the Energy Transition. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-19358-3_5

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