Towards a people-centred sustainable energy transition: Exploring energy justice in Yucatan, Mexico

Energy transitions are shaped by different worldviews, interests, and values. Achieving more socially just sustainable energy transitions around the globe necessitates an evaluation of energy justice principles from a wide range of different perspectives. While existing literature provides rich conceptualisations and insights into energy justice debates, those theorisations remain dominated by conceptions of justice and theories of development from Western currents of thought. Applying these theorisations of energy justice to the formulation and implementation of energy policies in developing countries - where levels of complexity vary widely - have led to damaging outcomes. Insufficient attention has been paid to further developing and expanding empirical and theoretical approaches of energy justice based in the Global South.

Drawing upon a qualitative in-depth case study, this research addresses this gap, by investigating issues of justice in the implementation of two solar and two wind large-scale projects in rural and indigenous communities in Yucatan, Mexico. Utilising data from semi-structured interviews, participant observation and secondary data analysis, I explore how actors, policies and practices can intersect to form a more socially just and sustainable energy transition from a bottom-up perspective.

The findings of this study provide fresh insights into how energy justice concerns -such as the non-recognition of historically exploited contexts, the exclusion of affected groups in key decision-making, and the inequitable distribution of projects' outcomes- influence wind and solar energy implementations and policy. Findings also demonstrate a fundamental need to expand prominent energy justice frameworks, to include more pluralist ideas of justice. Incorporating concepts such as self-determination, energy democracy, and self-recognition in the energy justice framework is crucial if we aspire to form more socially just and sustainable energy transitions. Following the findings of this research, recommendations for policymakers and pathways for future research are proposed.