Energy justice in a changing climate
Karen Bickerstaff et al / Zed Books / £19.99 / ISBN: 978-1-78032-576-7
This collection of academic essays provides different perspectives on energy justice and examines issues such as access to affordable warmth. The book summarises the outcomes of the UK InCluESEV project and provides a timely discussion.
It separates “distributional justice”, who pays for decarbonising energy supplies, for example, from “procedural justice”, the governance behind decision-making.
This is a book for dipping into rather than a structured primer on energy justice. It contains some real nuggets, particularly the comparison of Birmingham students’ perceptions of energy poverty and the outcomes of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation research programme.
However, many chapters would have a bigger impact if they were written in a more accessible way. Chapter abstracts and more visuals would help to highlight the key messages.
The real benefit of this book is the practical policy recommendations that can be taken from the authors’ work.
David Symons is director at WSP Environment & Energy