Justice in Canada's Energy Transition
Description
As energy systems are pressured to transform in the face of climate change, Justice in Canada's Energy Transition asserts that justice and equity are central to making a low-carbon economy sustainable.
Bringing together voices too often excluded from energy debates, this collection reframes Canada's energy transition in social, political, and practical terms. Contributors address key issues – the politics of phasing out fossil fuels, the limits of market-based climate solutions, and the need for Indigenous energy sovereignty – and then discuss how to design inclusive responses that tackle energy inequalities and advance energy democracy.
Specific cases explore the human and ecological impact of various projects, including the effect on communities of a coal phase-out and the equity considerations in locating a solar farm. Recommended steps involve teaching energy justice, supporting Indigenous leadership, and developing grounded solutions, such as community-owned renewables.
This is a call to shift how we think about climate action. Only by diversifying the voices that shape and benefit from Canadian energy infrastructure can we transition to a just and sustainable system.
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Persons
Laura Tozer is an assistant professor of environmental studies in the Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Toronto. Her work has been published in such journals as Climate Policy, Energy Policy, Energy Research & Social Science, and Environmental Science & Policy. Julie L. MacArthur is an associate professor and the Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Capitalism at Royal Roads University. She is the author of Empowering Electricity: Co-operatives, Sustainability and Power Sector Reform in Canada. Cheryl Teelucksingh is a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a co-author, with Andil Gosine, of Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada: An Introduction. Dr. Jenny Lieu is an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology. With Haris Doukas and Alexandros Flamos, she is a co-editor of Understanding Risks and Uncertainties in Energy and Climate Policy: Multidisciplinary Methods and Tools for a Low Carbon Society.