Gonda, Noémi
- Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
In the name of the European Green Deal that “leaves no one behind,” energy transition projects multiply. Amid this rush, scholars warn about their justice concerns: uneven distribution of costs and benefits, marginalization of certain sections of society, and absence of mechanisms for remediating injustices. However, energy justice scholarship often overlooks how energy transitions can facilitate authoritarian dynamics. Many assume that democratic progress supports just energy transitions, while democratic backsliding halts them. Others argue that the urgency of low-carbon transitions justifies sidelining democracy, despite evidence from authoritarian regimes where such projects trample Indigenous rights, suppress activists and enable corruption. Authoritarian states maintain complex relationships with disadvantaged communities, often using energy poverty to justify policies that reinforce their power under the guise of just transitions. This article examines how rising authoritarianism can hamper just energy transformations and calls for integrating democracy into energy justice research. I explore two key challenges: (a) how authoritarian regimes manipulate energy poverty narratives to tighten control and (b) how struggles over energy justice can expose cracks in authoritarian rule. By theorizing democracy within energy justice, I aim to shift the research agenda toward more inclusive and just energy transformations, emphasizing democracy as a central concern.
Keywords
energy justice; green authoritarianism; far-right ecologism; authoritarian populism and the environment; energy poverty; democracy in energy transitions
Published in
Progress in Environmental Geography
2025, volume: 4, number: 2, pages: 208-229
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Studies in Social Sciences
Political Science (Excluding Peace and Conflict Studies)
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/27539687251342264
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/145710