Energy Justice

Kleinman Center: Targeting Energy Justice: Race, Renewables, and Efficiency

Sophia Pascente

The Kleinman Centers’ lecture on energy justice targets the implementation of a just energy system nationwide. This lecture, facilitated by Dr. Tony Reames, highlights three key elements in shifting towards a just and equitable energy grid, and the positive implications of doing so long term. These key elements: costs, benefits, and procedures, all have the potential to revolutionize our energy perception and usage. By utilizing the example of the Texas power outages in Winter of 2021, Reames insightfully calls for an introspective look into the security of our energy grid. However, he does not stop there. He continues to proclaim how energy security is a matter of life and death for some individuals, and as such, demands evaluation. Reames fundamental values on the morality of energy insecurity commands actionable solutions to help communities in need. This is especially pertinent in light of the demographic statistics provided by Reames. For example, the median energy burden of Black households is 43% higher than that of white (non-hispanic) households. Statistics like these demand community based, equity driven solutions to energy insecurity. Some such solutions include the expansion of rooftop solar, in order to accommodate a broader demographic of individuals. Reames words resonate throughout the entirety of the lecture, as he deftly shifts the framework of energy accessibility to highlight diversity, equity, and inclusivity in policy promotion.

‘Diversifying Power’: Professor Jennie Stephens (Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy)

Sophia Pascente

Of the three videos I watched during the first week of the project, Jennie Stephens' discussion on diversifying power was my absolute favorite. The core thesis of Jennie Stephens lecture discusses how the nation's climate and energy problems are deeply rooted in economic injustice. Further, she acknowledges the way that the recent COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the current wealth gap. However, the part of Professor Stephens' lecture that was so impactful was not simply the way she framed the problem, but the solutions she presented. Stephens promoted radical re-evaluation of current government programs and tangible action items to promote equity. For example, instead of practicing climate isolationism at a federal level, to pursue programs of energy democracy. These programs would demand broad investments in individuals and in communities, but they center social justice and the human experience in their promoted policies. Ultimately, Stephens’ articulately centers individual needs in discussing the current climate and energy conflict. However, she does so in a way that prioritizes traditionally marginalized bodies of people. Stephens’ effectively promotes antiracist, feminist leadership in environmental spaces, and her doctrine is largely applicable in any environmental space throughout the country. Under her guidance, the climate and energy justice movement would be one based on collaboration, inclusivity, and participation, something that is vastly needed in these spaces. Stephens does an incredible job in promoting the vision she has for the environmental and energy justice movement and commands a great deal of respect for her core values.

Kirsten Jenkins: The Past, Present, and Future of Energy Justice

Sophia Pascente

This video was incredibly insightful in evaluating the methodology of existing scientific research done on the topic of energy justice. Kirsten Jenkins is an incredibly interesting speaker, as her background as a social scientist dominates her evaluation of existing scientific literature. Alongside her background, Jenkins shares her perceptions on the current nature of the energy justice crisis. Specifically, she discusses her perception of the field of study as relatively new, as it has only really existed in the literature for the past decade. That being said, her definition of energy justice is a very interesting one, as it emphasizes the intersection of climate science and the social sciences. Jenkins discusses the ethics behind sustainable development, and why these ethics should be integrated into the future of energy justice. Her conversation surrounding energy ethics begs an evaluation of the existing literature and their integration of sustainable technology as agents of change. She additionally emphasizes the importance of humanizing modern energy issues. This is where her social science background becomes abundantly important. Her ability to focus on the psychology, sociology, and socioeconomic factors that reinforce energy injustices allow her to be more empathetic to the individuals these injustices impact. They further allow her to focus on individuals and their stories in the struggle for environmental justice. In order to determine what constitutes an environmental justice she highlights the importance of proximity and equity. Then, in order to achieve justice, she highlights the importance of recognition and representation. Each of these aforementioned components of energy injustice can be used as buzzwords when looking into her study on the composition of energy justice literature. The culmination of Jenkins work focuses upon a review that compares the methodologies, geographies, and technologies of energy justice. This paper integrates over eight databases and 155 peer reviewed articles to analyze the composition of the literature. From here, she determined that the studies were overwhelmingly dominated by social scientists and determined her goals for the field of energy justice moving forward. Ultimately, Jenkins’ work on energy justice is undoubtedly important as it recognizes the gaps in our literature and encourages more human-focused studies moving forward. Without this vision for the future of energy justice, our work could continue to ignore the body of people who need their voices centered the most.

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