Energy and Climate Justice

10 Nov 2021

The third climate justice topic we’ll be exploring is related to energy. Our continued reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation coupled with the ongoing climate crisis is a global threat to countless communities and people’s livelihoods.

Unsustainable Energy:

Greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause of climate change. While many of these gases are naturally occurring, anthropogenic activity has greatly increased the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere, in particular: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluoridated gases^[1]. Fossil fuels dominate the European energy system^[2] and Ireland continues to be highly reliant on imported fossil fuels^[3]. Non-renewable energy resources (such as oil and coal) are the main sources of global carbon emissions, and the burning of fossil fuels has detrimental environmental and human health impacts.

Historically, the Global North has been responsible for producing the majority of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, it is people in the Global South that are disproportionately affected by climate change. Since the Global North is most responsible, we must take primary responsibility and ensure that global temperatures are kept below a 1.5°C to avoid catastrophic climate change. Global warming to this degree will result in the loss of precious biodiversity populations and species, increase the frequency of extreme weather events, contribute to rising sea levels, food scarcity, and harm the health and well-being of millions of people worldwide.

Energy Poverty

Despite the widespread use of fossil fuels, many people still don’t have access to reliable or adequate sources of power. Energy poverty is the inability of a person/household to heat or power a home to an adequate degree^[4]. This is an extensive issue being faced by people all over the world. As of February 2021, over 240,000 households were in arrears on their electricity bills and over 110,000 households were in arrears on their gas bills in Ireland, which amounts to over €90 million^[5].

 According to the World Energy Outlook report, 1 billion people don’t have access to electricity^[6]. Ample heating, lighting, and energy to power appliances are essential to guarantee an adequate standard and quality of living. Energy must be provided in a sustainable, just, affordable, and reliable manner. In the same way that climate change impacts different social groups in distinct ways, access to energy remains a health equity issue^[7]. Communities that experience energy insecurity also have inadequate access to healthcare, fewer education and economic opportunities, limited political representation, and poorer health outcomes^[8].

Health and Energy

Many households without access to electricity or gas use wood, crop waste, coal, and dried dung to cook and heat their homes. Burning solid fuels on open fires releases harmful chemicals into the air, and the indoor pollution in these households can often be much higher than outdoor pollution levels in the most polluted cities in the world^[9]. The burning of fossil fuels is the principal cause of air pollution^[10] and poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to health^[11].

Air pollution is a silent killer^[12] that contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 7 million people annually^[13], and in Ireland, particulate matter from burning solid fuels contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 1300 people a year^[14]. The two biggest sources of air pollution in Ireland is transport emissions and burning of solid fuels^[15]. Lack of access to clean energy resources has detrimental effects on the health of millions of people.

Fossil fuel companies are making billions in profit whilst people and the planet are suffering. Climate justice demands that the associated human rights issues of climate change are addressed in order to create sustainable production, consumption, and trade systems. Given that climate change and air pollution are intrinsically linked, by taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air quality and human health will improve^[16].

A just transition approach will need to be taken to creating sustainable energy systems to ensure that the socioeconomic implications of these changes are taken into consideration and local communities and workers in the energy industry are not left behind^[17].

A just transition can be described as the fair and equitable process of moving to a post-carbon society^[18]. Factors such as a person's socioeconomic status, gender, race, and ethnicity in both the Global North and South must be taken into account during this process^[19]. Transitioning away from fossil fuels is an incredibly difficult and complex process and it must take place on a global scale to be successful.

What can you do? 

• Lobby your politicians to support and enact a just transition to renewable energy. Without political action and sufficient political will, we cannot effectively mitigate climate change or protect the lives of those most vulnerable to its effects. Ireland has significant renewable energy resources, and these must be developed. An increase in the use of wind energy and the shift to gas for generating electricity instead of coal has lowered the carbon footprint of Ireland^[20]. However, significant work remains to be done if zero emission goals are to be achieved.
• Become energy aware. To save energy (and money), we should be conscious of the amount of energy we use in our daily lives. For example: 1 kW (1000 watt) can power an instant electric shower for 7-10 minutes, a tumble dryer for 20-40 minutes, or a dishwasher for 70-100 minutes^[21]. By understanding our energy consumption, we can all take steps to reduce our carbon footprint.

• Get active and join an environmental group in your local area that is working to achieve a just transition or working to stop the implementation of unsustainable energy projects.

We must adopt a just approach to our transition to renewable and sustainable energy systems in order to effectively tackle the climate crisis. A transition to renewable energy will have positive impacts on the environment, human health and wellbeing, and socioeconomic development. Radical changes must be made quickly if critical climate targets and climate neutrality are to be achieved and the social justice issues associated with this transition cannot be ignored if we wish to create a sustainable future for all.

^[1] European Commission, ‘Causes of climate change’ https://ec.europa.eu/clima/change/causes_en

^[2] Friends of the Earth Europe, ‘Energy poverty’ https://friendsoftheearth.eu/climate-justice-and-energy/energy-poverty/

^[3] Environmental Protection Agency, Chapter 12: Environment and Energy, page 6https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/assessment/state-of-the-environment/EPA-Ireland%27s-Environment-2020-Chapter12.pdf

^[4] Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, A Strategy to Combat Energy Poverty 2016 - 2019 page 8 https://assets.gov.ie/76592/e4a51133-21ab-4479-ad18-34a868403553.pdf

^[5] Social Justice Ireland, ‘Energy Poverty and a Just Transition’ ‘https://www.socialjustice.ie/content/policy-issues/energy-poverty-and-just-transition

^[6] International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2018.

^[7] R. McMonagle, et al., “Advancing Energy Justice as a Climate and Public Health Solution” (2021) World MEdical & Health Policy 13(1) page 147 https://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.420

^[8] Ibid.

^[9] Our World in Data, “Energy poverty and indoor air pollution: a problem as old as humanity that we can end within our lifetime” https://ourworldindata.org/energy-poverty-air-pollution

^[10] State Energy & Environmental Impact Centre ‘Health Effects of Burning Fossil Fuels’ https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/state-impact/projects-reports/projects/climate-and-health/health-effects-of-burning-fossil-fuels

^[11]  World Health Organisation, Ambient air pollution: A global assessment of exposure and burden of disease p. 15

^[12] Shehnaz Sheikh, Jawed Altaf Baig, Mohammad Baig and Abdul Waheed ‘Pollution: a silent killer’ (2009) Khyber Medical Journal 1(1) 17 - 20 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228664013_Pollution_a_silent_killer (accessed on 15 May 2021).

^[13]  United Nations Human Rights Council, Fortieth session 25 - 22 March 2019 ‘Issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, health and sustainable environment’ (8 January 2019) A/HRC/40/55 p. 5.

^[14] Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality in Ireland 2019 (EPA - 2020) p. 6.

^[15] Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality in Ireland 2019 (EPA - 2020) p. 3.

^[16] J. Jason West et al. ‘Co-benefits of mitigating global greenhouse gas emissions for future air quality and human health’ (2013) Nature Climate Change (3) 885 - 889 https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2009 (accessed on 15 May 2021).

^[17] Benjamin Harrington, Graham Keeffe and Emer Slattery, The Regulation of Smoky Fuels in Ireland: Assessing Options for Reform - A Report to Asthma Society of Ireland (UCC Centre of Law and the Environment 2020) p. 47.

^[18] D. McCauley, and R. Heffron, «”Just transition: Integrating climate, energy and environmental justice’ (2018) Energy Policy (119) page 2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2018.04.014

^[19] Ibid.

^[20] Environmental Protection Agency, Chapter 12: Environment and Energy, page 6 https://www.epa.ie/publications/monitoring--assessment/assessment/state-of-the-environment/EPA-Ireland%27s-Environment-2020-Chapter12.pdf

^[21] Electric Ireland, ‘How long does it take to use one unit of electricity?’  https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/help/efficiency/how-long-does-it-take-to-use-one-unit-of-electricity