Women’s leadership in renewable transformation, energy justice and energy democracy: Redistributing power
TL;DR: The work in this paper analyzes women's leadership by focusing on how two women-led, non-profit organizations are advancing the renewable energy transition, operationalizing the concept of energy democracy and contributing to the energy justice movement.
Abstract: As women take on more leadership roles in the United States advancing social and political change, analysis of women’s contributions to the transformation occurring within the energy sector is critically important. Grassroots movements focused on energy justice and energy democracy focus on: (1) resisting the power of large multinational fossil fuel energy companies that exacerbate inequities and disparities in energy, (2) reclaiming the energy sector with more community and public control to redisitrbute benefits and risks, and (3) restructuring the energy sector to prioritize equity and justice with community ownership and distributed governance. This research analyzes women’s leadership by focusing on how two women-led, non-profit organizations are advancing the renewable energy transition, operationalizing the concept of energy democracy and contributing to the energy justice movement. The two organizations are Grid Alternatives, a solar installation and workforce training organization, and Mothers Out Front, an advocacy organization focused on addressing climate change by promoting a transition to renewable energy. These organizations differ in their mission and approaches, yet both intentionally link climate and energy action with other forms of social justice activism, by expanding community engagement, strengthening participation, and fundamentally redistributing power to promote a transition to more equitable, resilient and sustainable energy systems. This paper contributes to the theoretical understanding of gender in energy justice and energy democracy movements, and to the practical consideration of the role that women’s leadership is playing in accelerating energy system change and advancing the principles of energy justice and energy democracy.
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny as discussed by the authors by Manne Kate, published by Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. 368. Price £20.99 £15.99.
Abstract: Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny. By Manne Kate. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Pp. 368. Price £20.99.)
261 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the energy democracy literature using a combination of keyword searches of major bibliographical databases for quantification purposes and an innovative method referred to as "circulation tracing" to assess impact is presented.
Abstract: ‘Energy democracy’ has evolved from a slogan used by activists demanding a greater say in energy-related decision-making to a term used in policy documents and scholarly literature on energy governance and energy transitions. This article reviews the academic literature using a combination of three methodological elements: (1) keyword searches of major bibliographical databases for quantification purposes; (2) an innovative method referred to as ‘circulation tracing’ to assess impact; and (3) in-depth discussion of the theoretical underpinnings, implications and interconnections of different parts of the literature. A conceptual framework is developed around three divergent understandings of the term ‘energy democracy’: (1) a process driven forwards by a popular movement; (2) an outcome of decarbonisation; and (3) a goal or ideal to which stakeholders aspire. The review also highlights some weaknesses of the literature: fragmentation between its European and American branches, which barely relate to each other; implicit or absent linkages between ‘energy democracy’ and broader theories of democracy; a tendency to idealise societal grassroots; confusion about the roles of the state, private capital and communities; and lack of attention to the threat posed by energy populism. Proponents should not assume that more energy democracy will inherently mean faster decarbonisation, improved energy access or social wellbeing. Finally, more emphasis should be placed on the role of research in providing evidence to ground energy democracy-related analyses and discussions.
89 citations
TL;DR: A review of the literature on just transition can be found in this paper, which identifies five themes around which the concept has been discussed: (1) just transition as a labor-oriented concept, (2) just-transition as an integrated framework for justice, (3) justtransitional as a theory of socio-technical transition, (4) just transitional as a governance strategy, and (5) public perception.
Abstract: The growing attention paid to the idea of a just transition away from the incumbent fossil fuel energy paradigm has led scholars to devise diverse definitions, understandings, and viewpoints of the term. This review seeks to clarify the different perspectives surrounding the concept, to consolidate knowledge, and to provide a concise account of current debates in the literature as well as a research agenda. It identifies five themes around which the concept has been discussed: (1) just transition as a labor-oriented concept, (2) just transition as an integrated framework for justice, (3) just transition as a theory of socio-technical transition, (4) just transition as a governance strategy, and (5) just transition as public perception. Overall, this review suggests that the literature on just transition employs rich theoretical and empirical insights from various disciplines yet contains several gaps. Specifically, it argues that the literature would benefit from more empirical studies rooted in practice, more discussion on the relationship between different concepts of just transition, an expansion of geographical scope to include developing countries and non-democratic regimes, and more attention to power dynamics in just transition.
76 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight the benefits and challenges of widespread development of RECs, and using examples from the pending transposition process provides policy advice for effective implementation of the RED II with respect to RECs.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors identify similarities and differences between energy democracy and energy citizenship and synthesise their contributions to debates on citizen participation in energy transitions, finding that energy citizenship tends to emphasise behaviour change and ways for individuals to participate in energy systems, thereby often focusing on individuals as agents of change.
Abstract: Increasingly, scholarly debates and policy developments on citizen participation in energy transitions have included calls for ‘energy democracy’ and active forms of ‘energy citizenship’. The concepts are tightly connected to the debate on energy transition, and the need for a decentralised energy system, based on renewable energy and increased local energy ownership. The two concepts exist in parallel and are sometimes used as synonyms and sometimes with clear distinctions made between them. This spurred an interest to systematically investigate them further. The aim of this paper is to identify similarities and differences between the two concepts and synthesise their contributions to debates on citizen participation in energy transitions. We review the literature thematically, finding that the concepts often refer to participation in domestic energy technologies, energy communities, energy transition movements, and energy policy. Energy citizenship tends to emphasise behaviour change and ways for individuals to participate in energy systems, thereby often focusing on individuals as agents of change. In contrast, energy democracy tends to focus on institutionalisation of new forms of participative governance and often placing collectives as central agents of change. The review also highlights some weaknesses of the literature: a bias towards decentralised energy systems, a lack of attention to representational democracy, and an underrepresentation of studies from outside Europe and North America.
67 citations
References
More filters
Book Chapter•
01 Jan 2012
TL;DR: The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) as mentioned in this paper identifies strategies that could help resolve the multiple challenges simultaneously and bring multiple benefits, including sustainable economic and social development, poverty eradication, adequate food production and food security, health for all, climate protection, conservation of ecosystems, and security.
Abstract: Energy is essential for human development and energy systems are a crucial entry point for addressing the most
pressing global challenges of the 21st century, including sustainable economic and social development, poverty
eradication, adequate food production and food security, health for all, climate protection, conservation of ecosystems,
peace and security. Yet, more than a decade into the 21st century, current energy systems do not meet these challenges.
A major transformation is therefore required to address these challenges and to avoid potentially catastrophic future
consequences for human and planetary systems. The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) demonstrates that energy
system change is the key for addressing and resolving these challenges. The GEA identifies strategies that could help
resolve the multiple challenges simultaneously and bring multiple benefits. Their successful implementation requires
determined, sustained and immediate action.
13,413 citations
TL;DR: A psychometric methodology for quantifying a factor termed “collective intelligence” (c), which reflects how well groups perform on a similarly diverse set of group problem-solving tasks, and finds converging evidence of a general collective intelligence factor that explains a group’s performance on a wide variety of tasks.
Abstract: Psychologists have repeatedly shown that a single statistical factor—often called “general intelligence”— emerges from the correlations among people's performance on a wide variety of cognitive tasks. But no one has systematically examined whether a similar kind of “collective intelligence” exists for groups of people. In two studies with 699 individuals, working in groups of two to five, we find converging evidence of a general collective intelligence factor that explains a group's performance on a wide variety of tasks. This “c factor” is not strongly correlated with the average or maximum individual intelligence of group members but is correlated with the average social sensitivity of group members, the equality in distribution of conversational turn-taking, and the proportion of females in the group. As research, management, and many other kinds of tasks are increasingly accomplished by groups—both those working face-to-face and "virtually"(1‐3)—it is becoming even more important to understand the determinants of group
1,941 citations
"Women’s leadership in renewable tra..." refers background in this paper
...Companies that invest in women and include gender-diverse teams have more innovation and revenue growth than their competitors [4,71,72]....
[...]
...Increased gender parity in groups has also been linked to more effective and inclusive results in decision making [71]....
[...]
Book•
16 Oct 1990
TL;DR: The Environmental Justice Movement: Survey Results as mentioned in this paper showed that 80% of the participants believed that environmental justice should be a priority issue in government policy making, and 75% of those believed that government should take environmental justice into account.
Abstract: * List of Tables and Illustrations * Preface * Acknowledgments * List of Acronyms * 1. Environmentalism and Social Justice * Race Versus Class in Spatial Location * The Theoretical Basis of Environmental Conflict * Translating Concern into Action * Environmentalism and Civil Rights * A Note on the Research Approach * 2. Race, Class, and the Politics of Place * Consequences of Uneven Development * Endangered Environs * Growing Black Militancy * Waste-Facility Siting Disparities * 3. Dispute Resolution and Toxics: Case Studies * Defining and Defending Against a Threat * Houston's Northwood Manor Neighborhood * West Dallas (Texas) * Institute (West Virginia) * Alsen (Louisiana) * Emelle-Sumter County (Alabama) * Summary of Disputes and Resolutions * 4. The Environmental Justice Movement: Survey Results * Rating of Environmental Problems * Siting Conflict and the Question of Equity * Economic Versus Environmental Trade-Offs * Environmental Activism * 5. Environmental Racism Revisited * The Role of Racism * Unequal Protection * Environmental Apartheid * Louisiana as "Paradise" Lost * From American Dream to Nightmare * 6. Environmental Justice as a Working Model * Waiting for Government Action * Impetus for Changing the System * Executive Order 12898 * Remedying Past Inequities * A Model Environmental Justice Framework * Winning at the Grass Roots * Relocation from "Mount Dioxin," * Citizens Against Nuclear Trash Chalk Up Major Victory * Corporate Welfare and Environmental Racism: The Case of Shintech * Conclusion * 7. Action Strategies for the Twenty-First Century * Lessons Learned * Mobilizing the Grass Roots * Toward the Politics of Inclusion * Conclusion * Notes * Selected Bibliography * Appendix: Resources and Contacts * Index
1,624 citations
1,165 citations