Ensuring just and equitable energy transitions

The document argues that low-carbon energy transitions do not automatically address gender and social inequities, and marginalized groups risk being excluded from benefits. It examines four key dimensions: political economy, where power dynamics and social norms can institutionalize differential energy access; energy security, where modern energy services may shift rather than eliminate women's burdens; job markets, where women are under-represented in technical roles due to STEM perceptions and capital access; and technology adoption, where gendered decision-making and social norms influence the uptake of tools like clean cookstoves. The brief concludes that a holistic, systems approach integrating gender and social equity into planning and implementation is essential for a just transition.

• Low-carbon energy transitions may fail to address existing poverty and social inequities, potentially leaving women and marginalized groups excluded from the benefits of these shifts.
• Political alliances between public officials and fossil fuel companies in Colombia and Indonesia have been found to maintain fossil-fuel-based economies and resist low-carbon transitions.
• Improved energy access does not always result in equitable benefits; in Zambia, solar mini-grids had little impact on women's lives because they did not replace the existing reliance on traditional cookstoves and diesel.
• Energy policies can inadvertently increase the workload for women, such as in Sweden where peak-time surge pricing led women to perform domestic chores like washing dishes and clothes during cheaper night and weekend hours.
• Women are under-represented in the energy job market, particularly in technical and engineering roles in the Lower Mekong Region, often due to the perception that STEM fields are masculine or that energy work involves heavy labor.
• Women face systemic barriers to entering large-scale renewable energy projects, including limited access to capital due to inequalities in land ownership and weaker financial negotiation skills.
• The adoption of clean cookstoves is influenced by gendered decision-making processes where social norms and financial considerations often outweigh the potential health benefits for the primary users, who are typically women.

APA

Aung, M. T., & Boyland, M. (2020). Ensuring just and equitable energy transitions. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ensuring-just-and-equitable-energy-transitions.pdf

Chicago

Aung, May Thazin, and Michael Boyland. Ensuring just and equitable energy transitions. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2020. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ensuring-just-and-equitable-energy-transitions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Aung |first1=May Thazin |last2=Boyland |first2=Michael |title=Ensuring just and equitable energy transitions |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2020 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ensuring-just-and-equitable-energy-transitions.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{aung2020ensuring, author = {Aung, May Thazin and Boyland, Michael}, title = {{Ensuring just and equitable energy transitions}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ensuring-just-and-equitable-energy-transitions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }