GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY? TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET

The document critiques the current global energy system as a tool of corporate and elite power that drives climate change, energy poverty, and human rights abuses. It identifies 'destructive energy sources'—including fossil fuels, nuclear power, industrial agrofuels, and mega dams—as causes of severe environmental and social harm. The author warns of a 'climate trap' where the transition to renewables could be co-opted by corporations to continue land grabbing and privatization. To counter this, the document advocates for a decentralized, democratically controlled energy system that treats energy access as a basic human right and ensures the free, prior, and informed consent of affected communities.

• The current global energy system is characterized by extreme inequality in access and consumption. Approximately 1.3 billion people lack electricity and 2.6 billion lack clean cooking facilities. Consumption disparities are stark; for example, in 2008, the US used 7,503 kg of oil-equivalent per person per year, while Bangladesh used only 192 kg.
• Fossil fuel use is the primary driver of global greenhouse gas emissions, with CO2 from these sources accounting for 57 per cent of the total.
• The document identifies several 'destructive energy sources' and their specific impacts: coal combustion causes an estimated 210,000 deaths annually from air pollution; nuclear waste requires safe storage for 1 million years; and industrial agrofuels are linked to approximately 66 per cent of land grabs in Africa.
• The Hidroituango mega dam in Colombia serves as a case study for the harms of large-scale energy projects, resulting in the displacement of small-scale farmers and artisanal gold miners, the destruction of the Bosque Seco Tropical forest, and human rights abuses, including the killing of community leader Nelson Giraldo Posada in September 2013.
• The current energy system is driven by 'extractivism,' an economic model rooted in colonial exploitation of natural resources in developing countries, further exacerbated by neoliberal policies that prioritize private profit over public goods.
• The transition to renewable energy faces seven primary risks, including 'corporate capture' of policy processes, the potential for renewable infrastructure to drive further land grabbing and human rights abuses, and the risk that the transition becomes a 'Trojan horse' for energy privatization.
• A just and sustainable energy system should be based on 'energy sovereignty,' featuring decentralized, small-scale technologies under direct democratic control that ensure the right to free, prior and informed consent for all affected communities.

APA

Friends of the Earth International (n.d.). GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY? TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Good-Energy-Bad-Energy-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Friends of the Earth International. GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY? TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET. n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Good-Energy-Bad-Energy-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Friends of the Earth International |title=GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY? TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Good-Energy-Bad-Energy-Summary.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{friendsoftheearthinternationalndgood, author = {{Friends of the Earth International}}, title = {{GOOD ENERGY BAD ENERGY? TRANSFORMING OUR ENERGY SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE AND THE PLANET}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Good-Energy-Bad-Energy-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }