LIEN and the Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) co-authored a chapter in Sustainable Energy Transitions in Canada.
Our chapter, Energy Justice and Poverty: A Case Study for Ontario, is co-authored by Theresa McClenaghan (CELA), Zee Bhanji (LIEN/ACTO), Jacqueline Wilson (CELA), Mary Todorow (ACTO).
Canadian energy systems need to change. Beyond providing essential energy services, they must mitigate and respond to climate change, enhance social justice, and remain sensitive to local cultures and traditions. Can they do this and still make financial sense?
Framed through the relationship between decarbonization and energy sustainability and justice, Sustainable Energy Transitions in Canada brings together experts from across the country to share their perspectives on leading theories and practices. Contributors first deal with the broad conceptual aspects of energy transitions, investigating such topics as energy justice and poverty, the decolonization of energy, community energy planning, the role of energy systems modelling, and links between energy and climate change policy. Building on this foundation, they offer case studies that cover the North, the Atlantic region, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia along with crucial sectors like transportation and space heating.
These experts reveal the potential tensions between top-down policy approaches and bottom-up community models and highlight the impact of major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Running throughout their rigorous, comprehensive discussion is a common thread: the importance of paying attention to wider sustainability goals in the process of decarbonizing the Canadian economy.
Scholars and practitioners working in the areas of climate change, energy systems transitions, sustainability, energy policy, and environmental policy will find this collection invaluable. It will also be highly relevant for upper-level courses in climate change, energy, and environmental policy.
The volume is open access and can be downloaded here:
https://www.ubcpress.ca/sustainable-energy-transitions-in-canada
