How can energy demand advance racial justice? The case of the UK

This paper shares findings from research at the intersection of energy demand and racialisation — an under-researched topic in Europe. We sought to understand the reasons for this gap, and identify potential approaches to address it in the UK, through a scoping literature review, semi-structured int...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Narayan, U, Higginson, S, Eyre, N
Format: Conference item
Language:English
Published: European Energy Network 2023
Description
Summary:This paper shares findings from research at the intersection of energy demand and racialisation — an under-researched topic in Europe. We sought to understand the reasons for this gap, and identify potential approaches to address it in the UK, through a scoping literature review, semi-structured interviews and a stakeholder workshop. The scoping literature review identified 36 publications that focused on energy and racialisation. The majority of these were about the United States, used quantitative methodologies, and performed analysis at the city and national-level, especially in the residential sector, and also focused on energy demand. Participants for semi-structured interviews (n=27) and one project workshops (n=45) were identified among energy demand and social justice researchers and practitioners. Interviews covered understanding the current situation (at an experiential and structural level), aspiration (through a pluralistic definition of racial justice), and learning from other agendas like gender and energy. The workshop was used to obtain feedback on emerging insights. Thematic analysis revealed the following areas for further investigation—Energy services where people demonstrably experience racialisation, namely, built environment, transport, health, and food; Processes through which racialised people are disproportionately impacted by energy system governance, especially with respect to energy demand practices, low-carbon technologies, energy advice services; and Methods to strengthen the evidence’s explanatory power in a nonextractive manner. The paper concludes with a call to further research on the diverse energy practices and needs of racialised people, thereby challenging assumptions around an archetypal low-carbon energy consumer and its implications for energy justice.