Energy Poverty as a Violation of Distributive Justice: A Critical Analysis

This essay critically analyzes the assertion made by Sovacool et al. (2016) that energy poverty is a violation of distributive justice. It examines the impact of energy poverty on vulnerable groups, such as low-income families and disabled people, and the role of hydroelectricity in exacerbating this issue. The essay also suggests policy initiatives that can help address energy poverty and promote distributive justice.

Sovacool et al 2016 p2
argue that Energy
Poverty is a violation of
distributive justice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Sovacool et al. (2016, p.2) argue that Energy Poverty is “a violation of distributive justice.” Do
you agree with this assertion? Justify your response, using your response to Week 7’s online
activity and at least one case study as an example to support your claims......................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
The distributive justice includes individual analysing of fairmindedness for allocating
favourable output all over the continent. It has been briefly interpreted that equality in such
context contrast distribution by laying three general concepts which are endorsed by
individuals fairly relying on specific societal object which holds relevancy in specified
relation or society obligation. The instrument of equity interprets about equivalent
dissemination of resources available to people in a region which are distinctively promoted
automatically as their social requirement for enhancing integration and peace as its main
aim. The urgency summons strict action against impartial spreading of these resource which
are required as necessity at larger scale. It underlines this concept of equal distribution
prescribed aim for societal prosperity and welfare with certain duties. This report mainly
confers about impact of energy poverty where hydroelectricity construction has lead to
impact society especially poor people livelihood as breach of their equal right contending
certain recommendation and asserting its influence regarding it.
MAIN BODY
The energy poverty can be understood as the situation where the vulnerable group of the
society does not get the basic amenity of life that is energy for its survival. This is the situation
where the people are unable to get access of the electricity and power in order to fulfil their basic
needs. Further more, it has a very negative aspect on the social isolation and health issues of the
country. These people who suffers from the energy poverty are generally termed as the fuel poor
of the country(Gallagher, Little and Hooker, 2021). They are also known from different names
such as vulnerable groups of energy consumers. These people suffer from various other
disadvantages such as the poverty in social life while living in the society. There are very bad
impact of energy poverty on these people. This can be proved by no standard of living. This is
because there are various factors that impact the standard of living of an individual. Furthermore,
the energy plays a important role in every sector of the society such as education, mass
communication, survival, etc.
In addition to this, there are various factors that impact the generation of the energy, one
of which is hydro electricity. This hydro electricity is generating from the big dams. Now in
order to make these dams the area where the dams has to be built have to be vacated. Generally,
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these dams are built on the outskirts of the cities where the vulnerable people of city live.
Moreover, due to the construction of these dams these people have to vacate their homes for the
construction of dams(Liu and Judd, 2019). Hence, these people also face challenges while
moving from one place to another in order to find new house for their living. Moreover,
according to a survey done by the International Energy Agency in 2016 , the plants that
generates the hydro power provides with 16.3% of the total world's electricity. In addition to this,
it also provides for the 85% of renewable power in 2015. further more, these hydro power plants
are established in almost 150 countries of the world. Further more, the energy poverty is also
termed as the energy vulnerability. The recent case study explains about the vulnerability of
these groups. There are generally two vulnerable groups in the society. These two groups
includes the low income families and disabled people. Further more, both these groups are
helpless for their financial condition. These groups face financial crisis on daily basis. This can
be seen from their lifestyle. These people generally have no life style due to lack of access to
money in their life. These people would also face discrimination in the society.
The people who suffers from these challenges also suffer from societal imbalance in the
society. Moreover, according to the constitution of the Australia everyone is able to seek justice
in the eyes of law. Furthermore, there is very lack of justice in this case because electricity is the
basic necessity of life in today's world. In addition to this, everything like food ,staying, dressing,
etc. is dependent on energy and these people are not accessing this basic right as guaranteed by
the constitution of the country(Longden, et.al., 2022). Hence, the government must take steps in
order to provide the energy to these vulnerable groups of the society in order to develop the
country as whole. It will also further impact the economy of the country. The government must
formulate policies that provides energy with minimal charges to these vulnerable groups. In
addition to this the government must formulate the policies to generate the incomes to these
individuals. The government must also formulate the policies to increase the employment for
these individuals. These groups must also take steps in order to make the money and
employment for themselves(Lukasiewicz and Baldwin, 2020).
In addition to this there must be more initiatives taken by the government of the
Australia. As per various reports and studies the electricity has been considered as the single
largest as well as the major source of the measure of aggregated green house gases emission.
Furthermore, it is also believed that the said sector will become one of the fastest growing sector
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energy sector in the coming years. Generally around 4.3 billion of the people are accessing the
motorised transports as well are having reliable access as compared to others. Therefore, while
making the effort underway for the purpose of electricity the sector of transport with respect to
the global use of electricity will intensify. The various authors named Geels, Sovacool, Sorrel
and Schwarzenegger also made focus on the fact that nation as well as the other countries as well
need to accelerate the system of socioecological of energy as well as the electricity towards the
way of deep decarbonisation. They also emphasized on the fact that sustainable energy is
becoming the policy priority for many countries and global governance bodies(Pablo, Paloma
and Francisco, 2019).
Furthermore, as per the International Agency of Energy the hydro power renders in a n
average around sixteen percent of the worlds total electricity and around eighty five percent of
renewable power. Hydro electric dams has generated on around grid connected electricity in
more than total 150 states. The said author Sovacool also specifics that hydro dams are the one
type of infrastructure which affects most the settlement patterns as well as the livelihood of the
humans. They also tend to create an impact on the health and environment provided that they
encircle on an average around fourteen percent of the all the global water run-off and also
operates on sixty percent of the worlds major and largest rivers.
Bringing concern to energy poverty as a different indication of social differences has
declared as an important discussion in the field of contemporary rights and authorization. Energy
poverty can be defined as the injustice involved in accessing the energy services and to secure a
healthy and safe environment to live in. Energy poverty seems to be a significant problem of
dispersive injustice. Each and every individual posses the right to accession over the energy
resources. The marginalised people are highly affected by the fuel or energy poverty. They must
get cultural and political recognition in order to seek justice in terms of the fuel or energy
impoverishment. It can done by including them in the decision making process related to the
various energy resources. Basically these particular groups are not getting the right amount of
electricity in terms of energy depreciation. Australia is a powerful nation in every aspect but at
present it is undergoing with the energy transmutation despite of having a national policy
regarding the fossil fuels. Some of the territorial and remote areas situated in the city outskirts
are highly dependant on the use of fossil fuels so as to generate energy resources. The access to
the renewable energy sources are approachable for some of the communities due to certain
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incentives related to the renewable energy. There is a load of energy resources and the activities
upon the marginalised sections and the ingenious communities. The energy injustice cannot be
treated as a separate issue from the the other societal injustice. On the other hand there are
various protective measures that are initiated for those who are acts as a consumer of the
different energy resources concerned with electricity. The major issue between all this is that
there is no equitable distribution of the energy welfare among the communities living in the
remote areas.
The thought on energy justice brings various philosophies of different fundamental
ethics of social justice which concentrates on the synchronous energy issues. The problem of
energy injustice sets the ground for socio political discrimination not just the matter of uneven
dispersion of the energy resources. Two major groups were outlined who are facing this disparity
or are vulnerable to the fuel poverty by the policy framers, they are disabled people and the
economically weaker groups. These communities are affected at large scale due to their
inaccessibility towards the renewable energy resources. They are majorly concerned with the
availability of electricity(Porto Valente, Morris and Wilkinson, 2022).
In accordance with this such dams should be constructed in areas and localities where general
public does not reside and resourceful for hydroelectric related fields which does not effect the
social life of people and their livelihood. As this issues opined about various factors which put
forward the concern of poor people having no place of shelter disturbing their survival
probabilities . This mainly annoyed the legal rights of citizens which strictly requires to separate
such working of dams functioning in areas which are far from residential territories.
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CONCLUSION
The above given essay concludes about the injustice to the vulnerable groups of the
society. It would also summarises about the energy poverty in the country of Australia. It
explains that how this poverty related to energy impacts the every day life of the people of the
society. It also explains about the long term impacts of these energy poverty on these vulnerable
groups of the society. This condition of poverty of power hinders the overall growth of the
society. This also explains about the initiatives that must be taken by the government in order to
decrease the energy poverty in the country. Moreover, it also shows about the data related to the
energy poverty in Australia.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Churchill, S.A. and Smyth, R., 2021. Energy poverty and health: panel data evidence from
Australia. Energy economics, 97, p.105219.
Gallagher, S., Little, J.M. and Hooker, C., 2021. Testimonial injustice: discounting women’s
voices in health care priority setting. Journal of Medical Ethics, 47(11), pp.744-747.
Liu, E. and Judd, B., 2019. Regional variations in the experiences of energy poverty across
Australia. Energy and Buildings, 196, pp.293-298.
Longden, T.,et.al., 2022. Energy insecurity during temperature extremes in remote
Australia. Nature Energy, 7(1), pp.43-54.
Lukasiewicz, A. and Baldwin, C., 2020. Future pathways for disaster justice. Natural Hazards
and Disaster Justice, pp.349-359.
Pablo, Q.S., Paloma, T.D.L.P. and Francisco, J.T., 2019. Energy poverty in
Ecuador. Sustainability, 11(22), p.6320.
Porto Valente, C., Morris, A. and Wilkinson, S.J., 2022. Energy poverty, housing and health: the
lived experience of older low-income Australians. Building Research &
Information, 50(1-2), pp.6-18.
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