Justice in Canada's Energy Transition

This volume reframes Canada’s transition to a low-carbon economy through the lens of justice and equity.

As energy systems are pressured to transform in the face of climate change, Justice in Canada’s Energy Transition asserts that justice and equity are central to making a low-carbon economy sustainable.

Bringing together voices too often excluded from energy debates, this collection reframes Canada’s energy transition in social, political, and practical terms. Contributors address key issues―the politics of phasing out fossil fuels, the limits of market-based climate solutions, and the need for Indigenous energy sovereignty―and then discuss how to design inclusive responses that tackle energy inequalities and advance energy democracy.

Specific cases explore the human and ecological impact of various projects, including the effect on communities of a coal phase-out and the equity considerations in locating a solar farm. Recommended steps involve teaching energy justice, supporting Indigenous leadership, and developing grounded solutions, such as community-owned renewables.

This is a call to shift how we think about climate action. Only by diversifying the voices that shape and benefit from Canadian energy infrastructure can we transition to a just and sustainable system.

Cheryl Teelucksingh is a faculty member in the Sociology Department at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a coauthor of Environmental Justice and Racism in Canada: An Introduction.

Julie L. MacArthur is an associate professor and the Canada Research Chair in Reimagining Capitalism at Royal Roads University, British Columbia. She is the author of Empowering Electricity: Co-operatives, Sustainability and Power Sector Reform in Canada. 

Jenny Lieu is an assistant professor at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. She is coeditor of Understanding Risks and Uncertainties in Energy and Climate Policy: Multidisciplinary Methods and Tools for a Low Carbon Society.