IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v99y2016icp329-339.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Transition to a post-carbon society: Linking environmental justice and just transition discourses

Author

Listed:
  • Evans, Geoff
  • Phelan, Liam

Abstract

The Hunter Valley, in New South Wales, Australia, is a globally significant coal mining and exporting region. The Hunter economy's strong basis in fossil fuel production and consumption is challenged by civil society campaigns employing environmental justice discourses. This paper analyses how two civil society campaigns in the Hunter region (‘Stop T4′ and 'Groundswell’) have countered the regional hegemony of fossil fuel interests from an environmental justice perspective. However, the discursive dominance of the 'jobs versus environment’ frame hinders efforts to build solidarity amongst local environmental justice goals on the one hand, and workers and union aspirations for secure, quality jobs on the other. Long-term structural decline of global coal markets adds pressure for economic transition. We argue that campaigns to open up possibilities for transition away from fossil fuel dependency to a post-carbon society can be strengthened by engaging with the 'just transition’ discourses that are typically associated with organised labour. Doing so can create synergy for social change by aligning community and labour movement interests. Inclusive social movement partnerships around this synergy must address structural disadvantage that creates social and economic insecurity if communities are to prevail over the fossil fuel sector's hegemony.

Suggested Citation

  • Evans, Geoff & Phelan, Liam, 2016. "Transition to a post-carbon society: Linking environmental justice and just transition discourses," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 329-339.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:99:y:2016:i:c:p:329-339
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.05.003
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421516302300
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.05.003?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liam Phelan & Ann Henderson-Sellers & Ros Taplin, 2013. "The Political Economy of Addressing the Climate Crisis in the Earth System: Undermining Perverse Resilience," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 198-226, April.
    2. N/A, 2012. "The UK Economy," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 221(1), pages 3-3, July.
    3. Rauschmayer, Felix & Bauler, Tom & Schäpke, Niko, 2015. "Towards a thick understanding of sustainability transitions — Linking transition management, capabilities and social practices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 211-221.
    4. Unruh, Gregory C., 2000. "Understanding carbon lock-in," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 817-830, October.
    5. Catherine Mitchell, 2016. "Momentum is increasing towards a flexible electricity system based on renewables," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 1(2), pages 1-6, February.
    6. N/A, 2012. "The UK economy," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 219(1), pages 3-3, January.
    7. Bridge, Gavin & Bouzarovski, Stefan & Bradshaw, Michael & Eyre, Nick, 2013. "Geographies of energy transition: Space, place and the low-carbon economy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 331-340.
    8. Goods, C, 2013. "A Just Transition to a Green Economy: Evaluating the Response of Australian Unions," Australian Bulletin of Labour, National Institute of Labour Studies, vol. 39(2), pages 13-33.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhao, Stephen & Alexandroff, Alan, 2019. "Current and future struggles to eliminate coal," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 511-520.
    2. Nathan J. Bennett & Jessica Blythe & Andrés M. Cisneros-Montemayor & Gerald G. Singh & U. Rashid Sumaila, 2019. "Just Transformations to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-18, July.
    3. Michael D. Briscoe & Jennifer E. Givens & Madeleine Alder, 2021. "Intersectional Indicators: A Race and Sex-Specific Analysis of the Carbon Intensity of Well-Being in the United States, 1998–2009," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 97-116, May.
    4. Anna Härri & Jarkko Levänen & Katariina Koistinen, 2020. "Marginalized Small-Scale Farmers as Actors in Just Circular-Economy Transitions: Exploring Opportunities to Circulate Crop Residue as Raw Material in India," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    5. Colvin, R.M. & Przybyszewski, E., 2022. "Local residents' policy preferences in an energy contested region – The Upper Hunter, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    6. Martin, Nigel & Rice, John, 2019. "Coal Seam Gas projects: Proposed policy model for compensation and benefits sharing," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-1.
    7. Chelsea Schelly & Aparajita Banerjee, 2016. "Soft Energy Paths Revisited: Politics and Practice in Energy Technology Transitions," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-10, October.
    8. Sanz-Hernández, Alexia, 2020. "How to change the sources of meaning of resistance identities in historically coal-reliant mining communities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    9. Lo, Kevin, 2021. "Authoritarian environmentalism, just transition, and the tension between environmental protection and social justice in China's forestry reform," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    10. Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk & Tomasz Starczewski & Krzysztof Rogatka & Aleksandra Lewandowska & Stanislav Martinat, 2023. "From adoration to damnation? Exploring role of media in shaping low-carbon economy in times of the COVID-19 pandemic," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(9), pages 9543-9565, September.
    11. Tianlin Zhai & Linke Wu & Yuanmeng Chen & Mian Faisal Nazir & Mingyuan Chang & Yuanbo Ma & Enxiang Cai & Guanyu Ding & Chenchen Zhao & Ling Li & Longyang Huang, 2022. "Ecological Compensation in the Context of Carbon Neutrality: A Case Involving Service Production-Transmission and Distribution-Service Consumption," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-18, December.
    12. Elena Calvo-Gallardo & Nieves Arranz & Juan Carlos Fernandez de Arroyabe, 2022. "Contribution of the Horizon2020 Program to the Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialization in Coal Regions in Transition: The Spanish Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-28, February.
    13. Leyi Zheng & Junfeng Liu & Qiong Yang & Yuqing Wang & Ying Liu & Xiurong Hu & Jianying Hu & Yi Wan & Xuejun Wang & Jianmin Ma & Xilong Wang & Shu Tao, 2023. "The Impacts of China’s Resident Tourism Subsidy Policy on the Economy and Air Pollution Emissions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-16, May.
    14. Olson-Hazboun, Shawn K. & Howe, Peter D. & Leiserowitz, Anthony, 2018. "The influence of extractive activities on public support for renewable energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 117-126.
    15. Nelson, Tim & Dodd, Tracey, 2023. "Contracts-for-Difference: An assessment of social equity considerations in the renewable energy transition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    16. Blankenship, Brian & Aklin, Michaël & Urpelainen, Johannes & Nandan, Vagisha, 2022. "Jobs for a just transition: Evidence on coal job preferences from India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    17. Rebecca E. Shelton & Hallie Eakin, 2021. "Social and cultural bonds left to “the mercy of the winds:” an agricultural transition," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(3), pages 693-708, September.
    18. Della Bosca, Hannah & Gillespie, Josephine, 2018. "The coal story: Generational coal mining communities and strategies of energy transition in Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 734-740.
    19. Luna, Marcos & Nicholas, Dominic, 2022. "An environmental justice analysis of distribution-level natural gas leaks in Massachusetts, USA," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    20. Shawn Olson Hazboun & Hilary Schaffer Boudet, 2020. "Public Preferences in a Shifting Energy Future: Comparing Public Views of Eight Energy Sources in North America’s Pacific Northwest," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    21. Tamara Antonia Krawchenko & Megan Gordon, 2022. "Just Transitions for Oil and Gas Regions and the Role of Regional Development Policies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-14, July.
    22. Marshall, Jonathan Paul, 2016. "Disordering fantasies of coal and technology: Carbon capture and storage in Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 288-298.
    23. Tamara Antonia Krawchenko & Megan Gordon, 2021. "How Do We Manage a Just Transition? A Comparative Review of National and Regional Just Transition Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    24. Goddard, George & Farrelly, Megan A., 2018. "Just transition management: Balancing just outcomes with just processes in Australian renewable energy transitions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 110-123.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Csereklyei, Zsuzsanna & Anantharama, Nandini & Kallies, Anne, 2021. "Electricity market transitions in Australia: Evidence using model-based clustering," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    2. Stiglitz, Joseph E., 2015. "Leaders and followers: Perspectives on the Nordic model and the economics of innovation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 3-16.
    3. Broto, Vanesa Castán, 2017. "Energy landscapes and urban trajectories towards sustainability," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 755-764.
    4. Agnew, Kerri & Lyons, Ronan C., 2018. "The impact of employment on housing prices: Detailed evidence from FDI in Ireland," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 174-189.
    5. Dierk Bauknecht & Allan Dahl Andersen & Karoline Dunne, 2020. "Challenges for electricity network governance in Energy transitions: Insights from Norway," Working Papers on Innovation Studies 20200115, Centre for Technology, Innovation and Culture, University of Oslo.
    6. Pickhardt, Michael & Prinz, Aloys, 2014. "Behavioral dynamics of tax evasion – A survey," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-19.
    7. Philippe Le Billon & Berit Kristoffersen, 2020. "Just cuts for fossil fuels? Supply-side carbon constraints and energy transition," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(6), pages 1072-1092, September.
    8. Arthur Vankan & Koen Frenken & Carolina Castaldi, 2014. "Designing for a Living? Income Determinants Among Firm Founders in the Dutch Design Sector," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 117-140, February.
    9. Anđelković Aleksandra & Milovanović Goran, 2021. "Supplier Selection Process Based on Green Approach," Economic Themes, Sciendo, vol. 59(3), pages 391-407, September.
    10. Xiaohong Iris Quan & Mark Loon & Jihong Sanderson, 2018. "Innovation in the Local Context: A Case Study of BYD in China," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 15(02), pages 1-23, April.
    11. Stiglitz, J.E., 2016. "An agenda for sustainable and inclusive growth for emerging markets," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 693-710.
    12. Ileana Palaco & Suk Kyoung Kim & Min Jae Park & Jae Jeung Rho, 2022. "Exploring capabilities of international technology transfer intermediaries between emerging and developed countries," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 307-352, February.
    13. Ali Arababadi & Stephan Leyer & Joachim Hansen & Reza Arababadi & Gloria Pignatta, 2021. "Characterizing the Theory of Energy Transition in Luxembourg, Part Two—On Energy Enthusiasts’ Viewpoints," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-18, November.
    14. Martin Guzman & Joseph E Stiglitz, 2020. "Towards a dynamic disequilibrium theory with randomness," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 36(3), pages 621-674.
    15. Malgorzata Olszak & Mateusz Pipien & Iwona Kowalska & Sylwia Roszkowska, 2015. "Do regulations and supervision shape the capital crunch effect of large banks in the EU?," Faculty of Management Working Paper Series 32015, University of Warsaw, Faculty of Management.
    16. Yao, Ye & Du, Huibin & Zou, Hongyang & Zhou, Peng & Antunes, Carlos Henggeler & Neumann, Anne & Yeh, Sonia, 2023. "Fifty years of Energy Policy: A bibliometric overview," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    17. Kate Bayliss & Ben Fine & Mary Robertson, 2013. "From Financialisation to Consumption: The Systems of Provision Approach Applied to Housing and Water," Working papers wpaper02, Financialisation, Economy, Society & Sustainable Development (FESSUD) Project.
    18. Steffen S. Bettin, 2020. "Electricity infrastructure and innovation in the next phase of energy transition—amendments to the technology innovation system framework," Review of Evolutionary Political Economy, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 371-395, November.
    19. Philip Amison & David Bailey, 2013. "Industrial Diversity and Innovation Spillovers: Dynamic Innovation and Adoption. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 45," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 47020, April.
    20. Jonathan Cribb & Xiaowei Xu, 2020. "Going solo: how starting solo self-employment affects incomes and well-being," IFS Working Papers W20/23, Institute for Fiscal Studies.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:99:y:2016:i:c:p:329-339. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.