Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions
In the informal settlement of Langas, Kenya, access to domestic energy for cooking is a complex and multifaceted issue. Political and infrastructural efforts have promoted LPG gas bottles as a cleaner and more efficient alternative to traditional fuels like firewood and kerosene. However, residents...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS)
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Politikon |
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| Online Access: | https://politikon.iapss.org/index.php/politikon/article/view/413 |
| _version_ | 1827573243642380288 |
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| author | Serena Saligari |
| author_facet | Serena Saligari |
| author_sort | Serena Saligari |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
In the informal settlement of Langas, Kenya, access to domestic energy for cooking is a complex and multifaceted issue. Political and infrastructural efforts have promoted LPG gas bottles as a cleaner and more efficient alternative to traditional fuels like firewood and kerosene. However, residents demonstrate a diverse set of contextual concerns that challenge gas bottles’ uptake and prompt questions about how straightforward these energy transitions can be. The ethnographic study I conducted in Langas reveals a significant gap between the way energy transitions to clean fuels are imagined by energy policies and stakeholders and how these are experienced by end-users. While energy policies often reduce energy transitions to mere technological shifts, local communities show that access to energy is a social rather than a technical issue and requires a more inclusive, context-specific, and culturally sensitive approach so that energy solutions appropriate and responsive to their needs can be developed.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:16:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e2c54ba934254b92a0f82a63b149e158 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2414-6633 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:16:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | International Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Politikon |
| spelling | doaj.art-e2c54ba934254b92a0f82a63b149e1582023-12-22T16:04:22ZengInternational Association for Political Science Students (IAPSS)Politikon2414-66332023-12-015610.22151/politikon.56.CON1Thinking Complex about Energy TransitionsSerena Saligari0University of Liverpool In the informal settlement of Langas, Kenya, access to domestic energy for cooking is a complex and multifaceted issue. Political and infrastructural efforts have promoted LPG gas bottles as a cleaner and more efficient alternative to traditional fuels like firewood and kerosene. However, residents demonstrate a diverse set of contextual concerns that challenge gas bottles’ uptake and prompt questions about how straightforward these energy transitions can be. The ethnographic study I conducted in Langas reveals a significant gap between the way energy transitions to clean fuels are imagined by energy policies and stakeholders and how these are experienced by end-users. While energy policies often reduce energy transitions to mere technological shifts, local communities show that access to energy is a social rather than a technical issue and requires a more inclusive, context-specific, and culturally sensitive approach so that energy solutions appropriate and responsive to their needs can be developed. https://politikon.iapss.org/index.php/politikon/article/view/413Social AnthropologyKenyaEnergy PoliciesEnergy Transition |
| spellingShingle | Serena Saligari Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions Politikon Social Anthropology Kenya Energy Policies Energy Transition |
| title | Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions |
| title_full | Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions |
| title_fullStr | Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions |
| title_short | Thinking Complex about Energy Transitions |
| title_sort | thinking complex about energy transitions |
| topic | Social Anthropology Kenya Energy Policies Energy Transition |
| url | https://politikon.iapss.org/index.php/politikon/article/view/413 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT serenasaligari thinkingcomplexaboutenergytransitions |