Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy
This article presents the results of the COVID Energy Map, a novel, global mapping exercise tracking emergency responses undertaken by governments, regulators, utilities and companies in the Global North and South to mitigate energy poverty by keeping energy affordable and available. The map constit...
| Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repository: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10256/24134 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Necessitats socials Basic needs Pobresa Poverty Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- Energia elèctrica -- Aspectes socials Electric power -- Social aspects |
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Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energyHesselman, MarliesVaro Barranco, AnaïsGuyet, RachelThomson, HarrietNecessitats socialsBasic needsPobresaPovertyPandèmia de COVID-19, 2020-COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-Energia elèctrica -- Aspectes socialsElectric power -- Social aspectsThis article presents the results of the COVID Energy Map, a novel, global mapping exercise tracking emergency responses undertaken by governments, regulators, utilities and companies in the Global North and South to mitigate energy poverty by keeping energy affordable and available. The map constitutes a comprehensive open access evidence-based database, so far collating 380+ emergency measures, in 120+ countries. This paper particularly shows and discusses how the response has been developing until early 2021, highlighting various emerging longer-term concerns and strategies across Global North and South. The global COVID-19 response merits close attention in our view, as it reveals both the universal importance of household energy services access and important underlying existing narratives and policy-making questions about securing energy services access as a vital basic need, and even a ‘basic right’. In fact, the paper additionally evaluates whether and how COVID-19 responses seem to fall in step with a nascent global trend of (legal) recognition of ‘rights to energy’ in international, regional and national policy, including for example in the EU, India, Philippines, and Colombia. We conclude that while the COVID-19 response clearly reflects broad recognition of the vital importance of affordable, continuous energy services access for basic human well-being and capabilities during the pandemic, a right to energy perspective could additionally lay bare or give shape to important concerns about some households’ too minimal (insufficient) forms of modern energy access, questions of equity, and the role of the state and other actors. In terms of equity the article particularly raises issues with the manner in which support was made available only to some consumers (e.g. on-grid, off-grid, regulated, or non-regulated, post-paid or pre-paid), or only for specific fuels, and not others. In addition, the lack of attention to clean (renewable) (off-grid) energy services in COVID-19 responses is striking, and worrying, both in terms of immediate response, and green recovery from COVID-19. We argue that a right to (clean) energy perspective would help to reflect on, and inform, both shorter-term and longer-term responses to energy poverty and COVID-19, and should aid the realization of sufficiently equitable, robust, modern energy systems in line with universal UN Global Sustainable Development Goal 7. Specifically, it should also help to fulfil SDG7.1.’s promise of ‘leaving no one behind’This article is based upon work from EU COST Action ‘European Energy Poverty: Agenda Co-Creation and Knowledge Innovation’ (ENGAGER 2017–2021, CA16232) supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology — www.cost.eu).1Elsevier2021info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionpeer-reviewedapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134http://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134Energy Research and Social Science, 2021, vol. 81, art. núm. 102246Articles publicats (D-DPU)reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunyainstname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)Inglésinfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102246info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/2214-6296Attribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:recercat.cat:10256/241342026-05-29T05:05:01Z |
| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| title |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| spellingShingle |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy Hesselman, Marlies Necessitats socials Basic needs Pobresa Poverty Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- Energia elèctrica -- Aspectes socials Electric power -- Social aspects |
| title_short |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| title_full |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| title_fullStr |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| title_sort |
Energy poverty in the COVID-19 era: Mapping global responses in light of momentum for the right to energy |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Hesselman, Marlies Varo Barranco, Anaïs Guyet, Rachel Thomson, Harriet |
| author |
Hesselman, Marlies |
| author_facet |
Hesselman, Marlies Varo Barranco, Anaïs Guyet, Rachel Thomson, Harriet |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Varo Barranco, Anaïs Guyet, Rachel Thomson, Harriet |
| author2_role |
author author author |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Necessitats socials Basic needs Pobresa Poverty Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- Energia elèctrica -- Aspectes socials Electric power -- Social aspects |
| topic |
Necessitats socials Basic needs Pobresa Poverty Pandèmia de COVID-19, 2020- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- Energia elèctrica -- Aspectes socials Electric power -- Social aspects |
| description |
This article presents the results of the COVID Energy Map, a novel, global mapping exercise tracking emergency responses undertaken by governments, regulators, utilities and companies in the Global North and South to mitigate energy poverty by keeping energy affordable and available. The map constitutes a comprehensive open access evidence-based database, so far collating 380+ emergency measures, in 120+ countries. This paper particularly shows and discusses how the response has been developing until early 2021, highlighting various emerging longer-term concerns and strategies across Global North and South. The global COVID-19 response merits close attention in our view, as it reveals both the universal importance of household energy services access and important underlying existing narratives and policy-making questions about securing energy services access as a vital basic need, and even a ‘basic right’. In fact, the paper additionally evaluates whether and how COVID-19 responses seem to fall in step with a nascent global trend of (legal) recognition of ‘rights to energy’ in international, regional and national policy, including for example in the EU, India, Philippines, and Colombia. We conclude that while the COVID-19 response clearly reflects broad recognition of the vital importance of affordable, continuous energy services access for basic human well-being and capabilities during the pandemic, a right to energy perspective could additionally lay bare or give shape to important concerns about some households’ too minimal (insufficient) forms of modern energy access, questions of equity, and the role of the state and other actors. In terms of equity the article particularly raises issues with the manner in which support was made available only to some consumers (e.g. on-grid, off-grid, regulated, or non-regulated, post-paid or pre-paid), or only for specific fuels, and not others. In addition, the lack of attention to clean (renewable) (off-grid) energy services in COVID-19 responses is striking, and worrying, both in terms of immediate response, and green recovery from COVID-19. We argue that a right to (clean) energy perspective would help to reflect on, and inform, both shorter-term and longer-term responses to energy poverty and COVID-19, and should aid the realization of sufficiently equitable, robust, modern energy systems in line with universal UN Global Sustainable Development Goal 7. Specifically, it should also help to fulfil SDG7.1.’s promise of ‘leaving no one behind’ |
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2021 |
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2021 |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion peer-reviewed |
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article |
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http://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134 http://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134 |
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http://hdl.handle.net/10256/24134 |
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Inglés |
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info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102246 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/2214-6296 |
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Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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Attribution 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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openAccess |
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application/pdf |
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Elsevier |
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Elsevier |
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Energy Research and Social Science, 2021, vol. 81, art. núm. 102246 Articles publicats (D-DPU) reponame:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya instname:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
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