A Just Energy Transition? A Taxonomy of EU and US Policies in the Low-Carbon Energy Transition

Western policymakers have largely come to consensus on the need to prioritize the low-carbon energy transition. Simultaneously, they have seen low-carbon initiatives as an opportunity to make energy systems more just. This has been called the "just energy transition". But what does a just energy transition mean in practice? How can we assess the synchrony or variability of such policies, their intended effects, and their actual effects? This paper will seek to establish a baseline taxonomy of energy justice by using recent EU and US documents on renewable energy, green electrification, and critical raw materials. The paper will use primary sources from 2018 forward, that will include policy documents, communiques, committee hearing minutes. We will identify important speeches made by EU and US political leaders and track how the language and emphasis on justice within the energy transition has evolved. Finally, the paper will attempt to bring in a practical application of the taxonomy and consider the effect of energy justice as a top-down versus bottom-up initiative. To do this, we will look for disconnect between the taxonomy, policy practice, and actual effect, by looking for, e.g., at cases in which local community rights are being infringed upon. The paper will provide researchers with a useful taxonomy as well as robust grounds for further research, including fieldwork and further exploration of the localized effects of just energy policies.