ABSTRACT
Marginalization of communities is a global, multidimensional challenge with social, ecological, and economic implications for sustainable futures. Energy systems may be an active component in the creation and perpetuation of marginalization, as well as in its disruption. Therefore, while one of the key goals of undertaking deliberate transitions of energy systems lies in rapidly cutting emissions for planetary well-being, an equally critical and inseparable goal is to transform the human well-being landscape – that is, to accelerate human development in historically marginalized communities. This chapter explores facets of human development including equitable growth, agency, and identity, socioeconomic opportunity and justice, safeguards for vulnerabilities to climate change and exclusion, and so on, in marginalized communities undergoing localized energy transitions. Employing the social value of energy framework for a systemic analysis of case studies from Bolivia, Nepal, and Bangladesh, illustrations of positive shifts, missed opportunities, and future pathways of the intertwined energy and human development transitions are discussed. Three critical aspects emerge for the pursuit of equitable, just, and sustainable energy transitions for human development in marginalized communities: identifying social purpose of designing energy systems, incorporating ethics and sociocultural values in energy decisions, and inclusion of due process and legitimate actors in energy governance.
