Emerging Energy Technologies Part 1: Leading with Equity for a Just Energy Future

[ Article originally appeared in https://greenlining.org ]

By Fatima Abdul-Khabir

If twenty years ago we asked what a clean energy future looks like, a sunny green field with a smattering of windmills and solar panels might have come to mind. Today, it’s much more complicated. Industries are rolling out new technologies with bold claims about how they can save us from climate change, but in reality many of these solutions don’t deliver as advertised or consider the people that are impacted. Even the clean technologies we have embraced, like solar, have profound equity implications.

As the country strives to define and work towards a just clean energy future, how can we ensure the transition does not replicate the same socioeconomic and environmental inequities created by the fossil fuel industry? How can we shape a new energy system that centers and is led by communities of color? One thing is for certain, if we take the same approach to the clean energy transition that we did with industrialization, we’ll end up with the same results; people of color bearing the brunt of the burden in the new clean energy sacrifice zones.

While it is tempting to look to technology for quick climate solutions, many energy technologies, including carbon capture and storage, green hydrogen, and critical mineral mining, still run the risk of perpetuating harm to communities and the environment. Below are four guiding equity principles to consider before advocating for, investing in, or otherwise supporting these emerging technologies. We recommend using the principles to analyze the threats and potential opportunities of some of the latest technologies that have gained a buzz.

Visit the link for the full article: https://greenlining.org/2023/emerging-energy-technologies-part-1-leading-with-equity-for-a-just-energy-future/