‘A Case of Climate Justice and Energy Justice: Solar energy for the urban poor of Dhaka’.

Mark Jones 8 January 2019

Climate Justice

‘[C]limate change is primarily caused by some parts of humanity whilst the effects of climate change will be largely suffered by others’ . (Heyward and Roser 2016, p2)

‘Bangladesh contributes little to global greenhouse gas emissions yet is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change’. (Rawlani and Sovacool 2011, p845).

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Climate Justice – Energy use comparison

USA Australia China India Bangladesh

Annual kg of oil equivalent per capita (World Bank)

6,915

5,586

2,226

606

215

Annual CO2e emissions per capita (World Bank)

16.5

15.4

7.5

1.7

0.4

Climate Justice Principle Description 1 Governance Full political participation, human rights and freedoms, respect for marginalised groups,

right to protest, access to information 2 Responsible consumption Not depleting resources too quickly, leaving resources available for future use, recycling of

materials 3 Inter-generational equity Allowing future generations to lead a life of quality at least equal to the present generation

4 Intra-generational equity Redressing local inequities in costs and impacts, including gender discrepancies

5 Ecological impacts Right-to-life for non-human species

6 Sustainable development Fair allocation of social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts of development

Derived from: Gardiner 2011; Schlosberg and Collins 2014; Stern 2015; Incropera 2016, Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice 2018

Climate Justice – principles

Energy Justice Principle Description 1 Governance in the energy

system Full political participation, human rights and freedoms, respect for marginalised groups, right to protest, access to information

2 Responsible consumption Not depleting resources too quickly, leaving resources available for future use, recycling of materials through use of low impact fuels

3 Inter-generational equity Allowing future generations to lead a life of quality at least equal to the present generation through use of low impact fuels

4 Intra-generational equity Redressing local inequities in costs and impacts, including gender discrepancies from energy

5 Ecological impacts of energy Right-to-life for non-human species

6 Sustainable development Fair allocation of social, environmental and economic benefits and impacts of development the energy system

7 Availability of energy People deserve sufficient energy resources of high quality

8 Affordability of energy Energy services should not become a financial burden for consumers

Energy Justice – principles

Derived from Sovacool (2013); Sovacool et al. (2017)

Bangladesh - Energy

Installed generator capacity by fuel type (source: BPDB 2017)

• Gas predicted to expire between 2025 and 2030 (Ahmed et al. 2014 )

• Energy generation capacity at 6,400MW is 2,000

MW short of peak national demand (Mollik et al. 2016).

• 400% increase in energy use predicted from 2015

to 2030 (Islam et al. 2014)

• 1,320 MW coal station under construction at

Rampal and 1,200MW and 2,000MW nuclear reactors proposed at Roppopur

• 67% of households are 2 parents plus 1 to 3 children

• 87% of households are one room of about 9m2

• 90% of households have one light and one fan

• 55% of households have a television

• 20% of households have a refrigerator

Jones (2017)

Dhaka’s slums – energy usage

• Maastan ‘buys’ electricity from the electricity authority

• Transaction involves bribery and party allegiance

• Maastan sells electricity (at triple cost) to slum dwellers

• Cost at US$2.00 per month per light/fan is substantial

• Ever-present threat of violence from the mastaan

• Non-payment results in disconnection and eviction

Lipu et al. (2013); Lipu et al. (2016); Jones (2017)

Dhaka’s slums – energy practices

• Little public expenditure • Oppressive governance practices • Limited rule-of-law • Extensive informality • Absence of land tenure • Severely limited infrastructure • Gangster control of the slum • No right of protest • Extremely high density

Rana (2010); Shafi (2010); Ahmed and Johnson (2014); Khan (2015); Moreshed and Asani (2015); Riaz (2015); Suykens (2015); Degert et al. (2016); Swapan (2016); Shafique (2018)

Dhaka’s slums – social conditions

Dhaka’s slums – energy justice

Energy Justice Principle Yes/no? 1 Governance in the energy system

2 Responsible consumption

3 Inter-generational equity

4 Intra-generational equity

5 Ecological impacts of energy

6 Sustainable development

7 Availability of energy

8 Affordability of energy

• Managed by IDCOL • Implementation by NGOs with local partners • Micro-finance model • Program includes community consultation • Program includes education of villagers and

maintenance arrangements • Over 5 million units installed 2003 to 2018,

benefitting 20 million people

Mollik et al. (2016); IDCOL (2017)

Rural solar program - details

Rural solar program – participant perception

Item Impacts Total %: agree or strongly agree

a. Children can study more hours 100% b. Better entertainment 66% c. Comfortable life 66% d. Reliable supply 66% e. No pollution 66% f. Able to work longer at night 62% g. Going to bed late 62% h. More friends are visiting 62% i. Improvement in women’s health 62% J. Security in the night 60% k. Increased status in community 60% l. Economically beneficial 58%

Mondal and Klein (2011, p20)

Social benefits • Education and livelihood benefits • Security for women • Phone charging and information access • Evening entertainment • No kerosene use (health)

Khandker et al. (2012); Sharif and Mithila (2013); Mollik et al. (2016)

Rural solar program – energy justice

Energy Justice Principle Yes/no? 1 Governance in the energy system

2 Responsible consumption

3 Inter-generational equity

4 Intra-generational equity

5 Ecological impacts of energy

6 Sustainable development

7 Availability of energy

8 Affordability of energy

Barriers to solar in urban slums

• Resistance from those currently profiting

(maastans etc) • Inability of government and NGOs to penetrate

the slums • Absence of land tenure • Lack of government resources • Need for ongoing management/maintenance Lipu et al. (2013); Jones (2017)

Benefits of solar in urban slums

Social benefits • Employment opportunities in the solar

industry • Avoidance of the maastan transaction • Additional lights and fans benefitting health,

education, livelihoods, social opportunities • Household independence Jones (2017)

Energy Justice Principle Yes/no? 1 Governance in the energy system

2 Responsible consumption

3 Inter-generational equity

4 Intra-generational equity

5 Ecological impacts of energy

6 Sustainable development

7 Availability of energy

8 Affordability of energy

Proposition – pilot installation

1. Investor commitment (eg US$ 0.5 million) 2. Management structure 3. Select a slum of 500 to 1,000 households 4. Consultation:

• Community education • Government • Slumlords

5. Establish micro-finance loans 6. Install solar home systems across the slum 7. Review after one year 8. Expand program with improvements

Reference list

Ahmed, I., Johnson, G., 2014. Urban safety and poverty in Dhaka, Bangladesh: understanding the structural and institutional linkages. Australian Planner 51, 272–280.

Ahmed, S., Islam, M.T., Karim, M.A., Karim, N.M., 2014. Exploitation of renewable energy for sustainable development and overcoming power crisis in Bangladesh. Renewable Energy 72, 223–235.

Centre for Urban Studies, 2006. Slums of Bangladesh, Mapping and Census 2005. Centre for Urban Studies, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Degert, I., Parikh, P., Kabir, R., 2016. Sustainability assessment of a slum upgrading intervention in Bangladesh. Cities 56, 63–73.

Gardiner, S.M., 2011. A perfect moral storm: the ethical tragedy of climate change, Environmental ethics and science policy. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.

Heyward, J.C., Roser, D., 2016. Introduction, in: Heyward, J.C., Roser, D. (Eds.), Climate Justice in a Non-Ideal World. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, pp. 1–20.

IDCOL, 2017. Renewable Energy - Infrastructure Development Company Limited [WWW Document]. URL http://idcol.org/home/solar (accessed 8.17.17).

Incropera, F.P., 2016. Climate change: a wicked problem : complexity and uncertainty at the intersection of science, economics, politics, and human behavior. Cambridge University Press, New York, NY.

Islam, M.T., Shahir, S.A., Uddin, T.M.I., Saifullah, A.Z.A., 2014. Current energy scenario and future prospect of renewable energy in Bangladesh. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 39, 1074–1088.

Jones, M.L.G., 2017. An Intersection of Social Sustainability and Renewable Energy: The potential social co-benefits of implementing solar power in urban slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Masters Dissertation). University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Khan, A.R., 2015. The economy of Bangladesh: a quarter century of development. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Khandker, S.R., Barnes, D.F., Samad, H.A., 2012. The Welfare Impacts of Rural Electrification in Bangladesh. The Energy Journal; Cleveland 33, 187–206.

Lipu, M.S.H., Jamal, T., Miah, M.A.R., 2013. Barriers to energy access in the urban poor areas of Dhaka, Bangladesh: analysis of present situation and recommendations. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy 3, 395.

Lipu, M.S.H., Shrestha, P., Kumar, S., 2016. Energy poverty and access to modern energy of urban poor: a case of Dhaka, Bangladesh. International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy 12, 270–294.

Lipu, M.S.H., Waliullah Bhuiyan, A.M., 2014. Electricity access in urban slum households of Bangladesh: A case of Dhaka. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy 6, 053112.

Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, 2018. Principles of Climate Justice [WWW Document]. URL https://www.mrfcj.org/principles-of-climate-justice/ (accessed 6.5.18).

Reference list

Mollik, S., Rashid, M.M., Hasanuzzaman, M., Karim, M.E., Hosenuzzaman, M., 2016. Prospects, progress, policies, and effects of rural electrification in Bangladesh. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 65, 553–567.

Mondal, A.H., Klein, D., 2011. Impacts of solar home systems on social development in rural Bangladesh. Energy for Sustainable Development 15, 17–20.

Morshed, M.M., 2014. Illegality of private subdivision and access to land for housing by the urban poor in Dhaka. Habitat International 44, 386–393.

Parvin, M., 2013. Projecting the population size of Dhaka city with migration using growth rate method. Journal of Mathematics 8, 29–37.

Rana, M.M.P., 2010. Urbanization and sustainability: challenges and strategies for sustainable urban development in Bangladesh. Environ Dev Sustain 13, 237–256.

Rawlani, A.K., Sovacool, B.K., 2011. Building responsiveness to climate change through community based adaptation in Bangladesh. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change 16, 845–863.

Riaz, A., 2015. How did we arrive here? Prothoma Prokashan, Dhaka.

Schlosberg, D., Collins, L.B., 2014. From environmental to climate justice: climate change and the discourse of environmental justice. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 5, 359–374.

Shafi, S.A., 2010. Urban crime and violence in Dhaka. University Press, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Shafique, S., Bhattacharyya, D.S., Anwar, I., Adams, A., 2018. Right to health and social justice in Bangladesh: ethical dilemmas and obligations of state and non-state actors to ensure health for urban poor. BMC Medical Ethics 19, 46.

Sharif, I., Mithila, M., 2013. Rural Electrification using PV: the Success Story of Bangladesh. Energy Procedia, PV Asia Pacific Conference 2012 33, 343–354.

Sovacool, B.K., 2013. Energy and Ethics: justice and the global energy challenge, Energy, climate, and the environment series. Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, UK.

Sovacool, B.K., Burke, M., Baker, L., Kotikalapudi, C.K., Wlokas, H., 2017. New frontiers and conceptual frameworks for energy justice. Energy Policy 105, 677–691.

Stern, N.H., 2015. Why are we waiting?: the logic, urgency, and promise of tackling climate change, Lionel Robbins lectures. The MIT Press, Cambridge, UK.

Suykens, B., 2015. The Land that Disappeared: Forceful Occupation, Disputes and the Negotiation of Landlord Power in a Bangladeshi “Bastee.” Development and Change 46, 486–507.

Swapan, M.S.H., 2016. Participatory Urban Governance in Bangladesh: A Study of the Gap between Promise and Realities. Environment and Urbanization ASIA 7, 196–213.

Thank you!