Middlemiss, L orcid.org/0000-0001-5185-2033 (2022) Who is vulnerable to energy poverty in the Global North, and what is their experience? Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, 11 (6). e455. ISSN 2041-840X
Abstract
Energy poverty is a fast rising government agenda in the Global North, and is subject to a substantial academic literature. Energy poverty is experienced when people do not have adequate access to energy services (light, heat, warmth, and cooling) to live a decent life. Plans to transition to a low-carbon economy in the Global North have raised concerns about the impacts of environmental policy on more vulnerable citizens. A just transition is highly risky for energy poor households, who enter into the transition at a disadvantage. Understanding this starting point is critical in ensuring the energy poor are able to participate in a just transition, and are not subject to further disadvantage. Here, using a realist evaluation approach, I summarize the empirical literature on the experience of energy poverty in the Global North, in doing so characterizing who tends to be vulnerable to this problem, and painting a picture of their life experience. I show how energy poverty links to poverty, and how people from commonly disadvantaged social categories (disabled people, single parents, and people from ethnic minorities) are more likely to experience energy poverty. I describe the homes of people experiencing energy poverty, and their coping practices, as well as outlining the effects of energy poverty on health, social life, and home finances. In conclusion, I point to the weaknesses and gaps in the current literature, and suggest some important avenues of research for the future. This includes bringing energy poverty evidence into more extensive conversation with a just transitions agenda.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Author. This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Energy poverty, energy transition, fuel poverty, just transition |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Sustainability Research Institute (SRI) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number EU - European Union 945097 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 17 Jun 2022 10:58 |
Last Modified: | 30 May 2023 22:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/wene.455 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:188127 |