- Cities in Climate and Energy Action
Cities play a significant role in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to address climate change because of mainly two reasons. First, cities are both major energy consumers and contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally. More than half (≈55%) of the world’s population live in urban areas (4.6 billion people), and this proportion is projected to increase to 68% by 2050 (+2.5 billion people)[1]. At the same time, cities depend heavily on energy to deliver a wide range of essential energy services. As a result, almost two thirds (≈67%) of global primary energy use is attributed to urban areas, and this percentage is expected to rise to 73% by 2030. In turn, urban energy demand accounts for 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions, making cities critical to reduce global GHG emissions [2]. Second, cities are particularly vulnerable to extreme climate change-driven weather events due to their high concentration of people and infrastructure. Natural hazards such as floods and heatwaves can rapidly lead to ripple effect problems in energy systems through direct damage to energy infrastructure, and disruption in energy supply. Other interconnected impacts include increased energy demand and prices, and negative impacts on renewables due to changing weather patterns.
However, not all citizens face severe weather events in the same manner. Low-income groups and marginalized populations often live in inadequate housing, and concentrate in urban areas with aging infrastructure and poor services such as transportation, making them particularly vulnerable to climate change and energy system disruptions.
2. Unequal Distribution of both Benefits and Burdens of the Energy Transition
Just as climate change disasters do not affect all populations in the same proportion, the benefits and burdens of the energy transition are not equally distributed among all citizens. For example, low-income households spend a much higher proportion of their income on electricity bills due to living in energy-inefficient homes, and barriers from adopting cleaner and more affordable technologies. Lack of means and opportunities (e.g., access to adequate housing, education and job centers, transport, etc.) stems from underlying and interconnected systems (e.g., economic, institutional systems, etc.) that perpetuate such injustices and social discrimination, as highlighted by social justice theory.
However, to ensure the effectiveness and long-term viability of the energy transition in cities and all government levels, the representation and involvement of all populations is crucial. This is in line with UN SDG 7 Universal access to energy and SDG 11 Inclusive and sustainable cities. By studying how urban energy policy addresses, or creates and exacerbates different forms of social inequality and injustice among vulnerable groups globally, this research aims to answer the following question: how to make the energy transition more just and equitable in cities?
3. Energy justice, Just Transitions, and Urban Energy Transition Theories
Both energy justice and just transitions theory emerged to address the systemic inequitable outcomes and decision-making processes related to energy systems. Energy justice can be defined as a global energy system that fairly distributes both the gains and burdens of energy services, and considers the interests of all populations in an equitable and impartial manner [3]. In energy justice research, two prominent frameworks can be identified. First, energy justice is defined as having three central tenets: distribution, procedural and recognition justice [4]. Second, ten energy justice principles that can be applied to real-world energy problems are identified: availability, affordability, due process, transparency and accountability, sustainability, intragenerational equity, intergenerational equity, responsibility, resistance, and intersectionality [5]. However, energy justice studies are widely focused on the national government level, and hardly examine the urban level. Urban energy transitions theory, on the other hand, although situated at the city-level and widely focused on energy systems, is rooted in highly techno-economic theories such as Technological Innovation Systems (TIS), and the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), hence overlooking social, political and cultural problems.
4. Knowledge Gap, Study Objectives, Methods, and Conclusion
This study addresses the knowledge gap between the energy justice framework and urban energy transitions theory. By combining energy justice theory with recognized urban policy guidelines by the American Planning Association and UN-Habitat, this study investigates how concepts of equity and fairness within energy systems can inform urban energy policy. To conclude, an urban energy justice framework is proposed, highlighting pathways towards defining contemporary applications of energy justice in an urban setting.
5. References
[1] UN, “World Urbanization Prospects: The 2018 Revision,” 2019.
[2] IPCC, “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report.” 2023.
[3] Sovacool et al, “Energy justice: Conceptual insights and practical applications,” Applied Energy, vol. 142, pp. 435–444, 2015.
[4] McCauley et al, “Advancing energy justice: the triumvirate of tenets,” International Energy Law, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 107–110, 2013.
[5] Sovacool et al, “New frontiers and conceptual frameworks for energy justice,” Energy Policy, vol. 105, pp. 677–691, 2017.
