Energy, Governance and Sustainability

This timely book makes an original and in-depth contribution to the debate about how to transform our energy governance systems into ones that support a fair, safe and sustainable society. It combines perspectives from leading scholars to provide a global outlook on alternative approaches to energy governance and innovative experiences. Taken as a whole, it offers a unique overview of some of the innovative and novel ways in which law can support the shift to sustainable and equitable energy systems.The first section lays the conceptual and theoretical foundations for alternative approaches to energy governance, including its constitutional foundations, the role of human rights, and an environmentally just system that seeks universal access to energy for all. The second section showcases concrete innovative experiences in energy governance from around the globe, including smart cities, the role of the courts, energy efficiency of buildings and the harnessing of energy from waste. Finally, the authors consider the social justice dimension, discussing the exploitation of energy resources by multinational companies in developing countries and the importance of agricultural production, distribution and consumption in energy transformation. This unique overview of state-of-the-art approaches to transformation of energy governance is vital reading for policy-makers and both legal and non-legal scholars concerned with energy law, sustainability and justice, as well as global governance.

Edited by Jordi Jaria i Manzano, Serra Hunter Fellow, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Catalonia, Spain, Nathalie Chalifour, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa, Canada and Louis J. Kotze, Research Professor, North-West University, South Africa