Energy justice discourse: Global South perspectives

Energy justice has evolved as a framework for understanding the justice implications of decisions across energy systems. Scholars have also explored how to apply environmental and human rights norms to energy systems. However, injustices in energy systems also tend to exacerbate energy challenges, particularly manifesting through different countries' legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks. In the real world, energy challenges often stem from justice issues and can manifest in various contexts, including laws and policies that inadvertently cause injustices instead of resolving them. As a result, there are different interpretations of the concept of energy justice and its framework among scholars from the Global North and South. These diverse interpretations have contributed to mixed reactions on how energy justice is understood and implemented in energy systems, partly due to the failure to fully consider the different aspects of energy access and poverty challenges underpinned by justice concerns, especially how they manifest in different countries. For example, energy challenges differ in Global North and South countries. Countries in the North are often faced with energy poverty linked to unaffordability, while countries in the South must grapple with the challenges of poor energy access and security before even considering affordability. This observation highlights the importance of any interpretation and implementation approach taking into account different socio-economic challenges.