What do we mean by “justice” in energy transitions? Can we talk about justice in a generalized context of extraction, colonialism and patriarchy? As capitalism devolves into a state of permacrisis, doesn't it seem odd that policy makers, scholars and activists continue to promote energy justice without dealing with these realities? Drawing on examples from the Global South, this talk will offer some answers to these questions reflecting on the origins of the notion of energy justice, pointing towards some of its limitations, and thinking what other possibilities, alternatives, and ways forward there might be.
Speaker:
Dr Carlos Tornel is a researcher, writer, translator, and activist living in Mexico City. He holds a PhD in Human Geography from Durham University (UK). His work has focused on the politicization of the climate crisis, the decolonization of energy justice, and the ontological transitions and openings created by pluriversal struggles in Mexico. He is a member of Global Tapestry of Alternatives and collaborates as a researcher with CONAHCYT's Strategic National Program for Energy and Climate Change at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
Commentators:
Professor Camilla Sandström, Chairholder, UNESCO chair on biosphere reserves as labs for inclusive societal transformation; Department of Political Science, Umeå University
Dr.
Nikodemus Solitander, Director of the Centre for Corporate Responsibility (CCR) and Associate Dean of Sustainability, Hanken School of Economics