Green Energy Development and Transition: Have we seen this film before? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)

This statement by researchers at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) argues that the transition to green energy risks replicating the destructive socio-environmental patterns of the fossil fuel era. The authors highlight that the extraction of minerals for renewable technologies causes significant ecological damage and social conflict, and they advocate for a broader definition of 'energy justice' that addresses these imbalances.

• The transition to green energy may replicate or exacerbate the negative patterns associated with fossil fuel industries, including socio-environmental conflicts and destructive extraction practices.
• Renewable energy technologies, such as electric cars, wind turbines, and solar panels, rely on the extraction of non-renewable minerals and rare earths, which leads to increasing volumes of land use-change and environmental damage.
• Green energy development is causing active protest and contestation in several regions, specifically regarding wind turbines in Norway, hydro-electric dams in Uganda, and lithium mining in Chile and Bolivia.
• The authors argue that 'energy justice' should move beyond simply increasing energy access for the poor to addressing the imbalances, impacts, and contestations resulting from the green energy transition.

APA

McNeish, J.-A., & Vasstrøm, M. (2021). Green Energy Development and Transition: Have we seen this film before? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://www.prio.org/comments/777

Chicago

McNeish, John-Andrew, and Mikaela Vasstrøm. Green Energy Development and Transition: Have we seen this film before? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2021. https://www.prio.org/comments/777.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=McNeish |first1=John-Andrew |last2=Vasstrøm |first2=Mikaela |title=Green Energy Development and Transition: Have we seen this film before? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=4 May 2021 |url=https://www.prio.org/comments/777 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mcneish2021green, author = {McNeish, John-Andrew and Vasstrøm, Mikaela}, title = {{Green Energy Development and Transition: Have we seen this film before? – Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)}}, publisher = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2021}, month = may, url = {https://www.prio.org/comments/777}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }