Scholarly record
ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL IMPACT IN THE TRANSITION TO GREEN ECONOMY
Abstract
The use of renewable energy is discussed, monitored and regulated by organizations all over the world in the current context of transition to green economies. Moreover, the focus of the debates in the scientific world is targeted towards emissions reduction which has become one of the most significant impact assessment tool of the renewable energy use. By the extensive review of the publications regarding energy access and the monitoring of sustainable development around the world, it can be concluded that the data regarding the access to energy of the majority of countries (including developed ones) is superficial and the reports use inaccurate generalizations regarding what the European Union refers to as the right of its citizens to have their homes connected to the local electricity network. The results of researches conducted on the subject generally indicate that first poverty must be combated and education programs must be implemented before accessing renewable energy. This paper discusses the significant social issue which is disregarded in the current reports about the monitoring of energy at national levels, namely the access to energy, and proposes a shift in perspective from the purpose of on-grid connections of the households to accessing renewable energy resources which could represent the solution of this social issue worldwide. In order to sustain this proposal, data provided by the World Bank in the latest energy report is processed using Microsoft Power BI. Only by considering important dimensions other than the environmental or economical ones, which would seriously benefit from the use of renewable energy, a fair assessment can be made regarding the impact of transitioning to a green economy. Therefore, the discussion about the social dimension must start with emphasis on the assumptions which are made when assessing the status quo, which is one of the main discussion in this paper. By correctly identifying the social issues, the appropriate solutions can be then implemented.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References9
Muhammad Ikram, Qingyu Zhang, Robert Sroufe, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Towards a sustainable environment: The nexus between ISO 14001, renewable energy consumption, access to electricity, agriculture and CO2 emissions in SAARC countries, Sustainable Production and Consumption, UK, vol. 22, pp. 218-230, 2020.
Ryan P. Thombs, When democracy meets energy transitions: A typology of social power and energy system scale, Energy Research & Social Science, USA, vol. 52, pp. 159-168, 2019.
Joohyun Lee, Mardelle Shepley, Benefits of solar photovoltaic systems for low-income families in social housing of Korea: Renewable energy applications as solutions to energy poverty, Journal of Building Engineering, USA, 2019.
Katrin Grossmann, Using conflicts to uncover injustices in energy transitions: The case of social impacts of energy efficiency policies in the housing sector in Germany, Global Transitions, vol. 1, pp. 148-156, 2019.
Olalekan J. Akintande, Olusanya E. Olubusoye, Adeola F. Adenikinju, Busayo T. Olanrewaju, Modeling the determinants of renewable energy consumption: Evidence from the five most populous nations in Africa, Energy, vol. 206, 2020.
Debendra Chandra Baruah, Christopher Chintua Enweremadu, Prospects of decentralized renewable energy to improve energy access: A resource-inventory-based analysis of South Africa, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 103, pp. 328-341, 2019.
Dawit Diriba Guta, Determinants of household use of energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies in rural Ethiopia, Technology in Society, vol. 61, 2020.
Subhanjan Sengupta, Arunaditya Sahay, Robert D. Hisrich, The social – market convergence in a renewable energy social enterprise, Journal of Cleaner Production, 2020.
IEA, IRENA, UNSD, WB, WHO (2019), Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2019, USA, 2019.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.