Renewable Energy Injustice: The Socio-environmental Implications of Renewable Energy Consumption.

• In Event: 1561 - Environmental Sociology

Abstract

We explore how national income inequality and renewable energy consumption moderate each other’s relationship to CO2 emissions per capita for a sample of 175 nations from 1990-2014. We find that independent of income inequality and other drivers of emissions, increases in renewable energy consumption reduces emissions, however, when national income inequality is considered, higher levels of inequality are associated a stronger negative relationship between renewable energy consumption and emissions. Conversely, independent of renewable energy consumption and other drivers of emissions, increases in national income inequality reduce emissions, however when renewable energy is considered, high percentages of renewable energy consumption correspond with inequality increasing emissions. Additional analyses indicate that when income inequality is high, fossil fuel energy consumption tends to displace renewable energy consumption, and when income inequality is low, renewable energy consumption tends to displace fossil fuel consumption. These results support and expand on theories of energy poverty and environmental privilege, suggesting that renewable energy consumption reduces emissions directly and indirectly by expanding energy poverty.

Authors

• Julius Alexander McGee, Portland State University

• Patrick Trent Greiner, Vanderbilt University