Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South This book explores how, in the wake of the Anthropocene, the growing call for urgent decarbonisation and accelerated energy transitions might have unintended consequences for energy poverty, justice and democracy, especially in the global South. Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South brings together theoretical and empirical contributions focused on rethinking energy transitions conceptually from and for the global South, and highlights issues of justice and inclusivity. It argues that while urgency is critical for energy transitions in a climate-changed world, we must be wary of conflating goals and processes, and enquire what urgency means for due process. Drawing from a range of authors with expertise spanning environmental justice, design theory, ethics of technology, conflict and gender, it examines case studies from countries including Bolivia, Sri Lanka, India, The Gambia and Lebanon in order to expand our understanding of what energy transi- tions are, and how just energy transitions can be done in different parts of the world. Overall, driven by a postcolonial and decolonial sensibility, this book brings to the fore new concepts and ideas to help balance the demands of justice and urgency, to flag relevant but often overlooked issues, and to provide new pathways forward. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of energy transi- tions, environmental justice, climate change and developing countries. Ankit Kumar is a Lecturer in Development and Environment at the University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom. Johanna Höffken is an Assistant Professor in Innovation Sciences at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), The Netherlands. Auke Pols is a Lecturer in Responsible Innovation and the Ethics of Technology at Wageningen University & Research, The Netherlands. “This book makes a deep-diving contribution to an important issue: how to ensure rapid climate action by transitioning energy systems whilst recognising this as a deeply socio-ethical process. The editors distinguish between urgency and justice to explore questions that everyone involved in energy transitions research or prac- tice must engage with.” Rob Raven, Monash Sustainable Development Institute, Monash University, Australia “Kumar, Hffken and Pols have assembled an outstanding collection of essays that situates the energy transition firmly within the Anthropocene. [They] put justice at the core of the energy transition. They do this by showcasing the dynamics and politics of energy transition in a diverse set of geographical contexts. The multi- site insights from this collection show that the energy transition generates new forms of carbon colonialism. The book also reveals multiple inequalities embed- ded in energy transitions, as shown, for example, in gendered patterns of inclusion and exclusion. Accessible and engaging, this book will inform the growing work of critical energy scholars, whether they are seeking to understand how to activate just energy transitions or trying to avoid the mistakes of the past.” – Vanesa Castan Broto, Urban Institute and Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom “This important collection on just transitions in the global South casts a new empirical light onto an otherwise shadowy area of inquiry. The chapters bring to attention the complexity and nuance needed to understand the implications for the energy transition on materials, land, labour and nature-cultures. This book offers new empirical insights for why justice needs to be at the centre of climate mitiga- tion efforts with the world’s most vulnerable, and why moving fast without careful thought and participation – building with haste – could reproduce the same old inequities, this time in the name of decarbonisation. The authors give us much to think about and wrestle with – a truly timely collection for this moment.” – Dustin Mulvaney, Department of Environmental Studies, San José State University, USA Routledge Explorations in Energy Studies Decarbonising Electricity Made Simple Andrew F. Crossland Wind and Solar Energy Transition in China Marius Korsnes Sustainable Energy Education in the Arctic The Role of Higher Education Gisele M. Arruda Electricity and Energy Transition in Nigeria Norbert Edomah Renewable Energy Uptake in Urban Latin America Sustainable Technology in Mexico and Brazil Alexandra Mallett Energy Cooperation in South Asia Utilizing Natural Resources for Peace and Sustainable Development Mirza Sadaqat Huda Perspectives on Energy Poverty in Post-Communist Europe Edited by George Jiglau, Anca Sinea, Ute Dubois and Philipp Biermann Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South Balancing Urgency and Justice Edited by Ankit Kumar, Johanna Höffken and Auke Pols For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routled ge-Explorations-in-Energy-Studies/book-series/REENS Dilemmas of Energy Transitions in the Global South Balancing Urgency and Justice Edited by Ankit Kumar, Johanna Höffken and Auke Pols First published 2021 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Ankit Kumar, Johanna Höffken and Auke Pols; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Ankit Kumar, Johanna Höffken and Auke Pols to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www .taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Kumar, Ankit, 1985- editor. Title: Dilemmas of energy transitions in the global south: balancing urgency and justice / edited by Ankit Kumar, Johanna Höffken and Auke Pols. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2021. | Series: Routledge explorations in energy studies | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2020056909 (print) | LCCN 2020056910 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367486440 (hbk) | ISBN 9780367486457 (ebk) Subjects: LCSH: Energy industries--Developing countries. | Sustainable development–Developing countries. | Environmental justice–Developing countries. Classification: LCC HD9502.D442 D55 2021 (print) | LCC HD9502.D442 (ebook) | DDC 333.7909172/4–dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020056909 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020056910 ISBN: 978-0-367-48644-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-01546-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-48645-7 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9780367486457 Typeset in Times New Roman by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India Contents List of figures ix Editors x List of contributors xi Preface xiv 1 Urgency vs justice: A politics of energy transitions in the age of the Anthropocene 1 ANKIT KUMAR, AUKE POLS, AND JOHANNA HÖFFKEN 2 Insights from an assemblage perspective for a (better) understanding of energy transitions: Facing the challenge of sustainability in Lebanon’s energy crisis 18 DANA ABI GHANEM 3 Constructing an inclusive vision of sustainable transition to decentralised energy: Local practices, knowledge, values and narratives in the case of community-managed grids in rural India 39 ANNA MELNYK AND ABHIGYAN SINGH 4 Bolivia’s energy transition in harmony with nature: Reality or delusion? 55 PAOLA VILLAVICENCIO-CALZADILLA AND ROMAIN MAUGER 5 Scalar biases in solar photovoltaic uptake: Socio-materiality, regulatory inertia and politics 78 SIDDHARTH SAREEN viii Contents 6 Energy transitions in a post-war setting: Questions of equity, justice and democracy in Sri Lanka 93 GZ. MEENILANKCO THEIVENTHRAN 7 Energising change: Clean cooking and the changing social position of women 111 MINI GOVINDAN AND RASHMI MURALI 8 “Women don’t ride bicycle[s], only men ride bicycles”: Gender and justice in mobility transitions 134 MARY GREENE AND ANNE SCHIFFER 9 Energy transitions in the global South: Towards just urgency and urgent justice 154 JOHANNA HÖFFKEN, AUKE POLS, AND ANKIT KUMAR Index 163 Figures 2.1 Diesel generator wires visible in the foyer of an apartment building in Beirut 29 2.2 Lead-acid batteries mounted on a cradle in the attic of Layla’s house 31 3.1 Map of India with the location of Chhattisgarh highlighted 43 3.2 Photographs of a mini-grid at the field-site. Notice the solar panels on the ground and a battery-bank inside a control-room 44 3.3 Automatic timer and load-limiter 45 3.4 Power Distribution Network (PDN) with extra cables connected by the villagers 46 3.5 A “movie theatre” set-up with a television-set connected to a compact disc (CD) player and with cots and chairs for the villagers to sit 48 4.1 Yearly evolution of hydroelectric, thermal generation and alternative energies (GWh) (SIN) (1992-2018). Created by the authors, based on AE’s data (2019, pp. 63–65) 62 4.2 Evolution of the electricity generation’s share per energy source. Created by the authors, based on the Ministerio de Hidrocarburos y Energía’s data