Energy Justice, Climate Change, and the Challenge of Global Energy Governance

The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)¹ fueled warnings worldwide that humanity has nearly run out of time to reduce the worst effects of global warming, including the extreme weather, food shortages, and power losses that make everyday life unnecessarily challenging for billions of the Earth’s inhabitants. The magnitude of these impacts for the poorest among us supports the claim that global warming represents the greatest ethical issue of our time.² In particular, ensuring reliable access to clean and affordable modern energy is critical for economic growth and the provision of health care, education, and other social services. Deep socioeconomic inequalities within as well as among nations underscore the justice dimensions of energy access in a global political economy constrained by climate change. Moreover, if peoples’ propensity to modify their behavior in the common interest is contingent on their sense that the underlying...