Radical energy justice: a Green Deal for Romanian coal miners?

LaBelle, Michael; Bucată, Roxana; Stojilovska, Ana

doi:10.1080/1523908x.2021.1992266

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Recently, apart from the issue of energy transformation connected with the requirements related to the EU policy (the Green Deal), there have also been other conditions determined by the (post)pandemic situation [13,71]. Research in this area is therefore necessary, as it can support decision-making processes also in the regions which are economically dependent on the extraction and processing of energy resources, and thus subject to the energy transformation policy [72][73][74].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Economic Resilience of Poland’s Lignite Regions

Dmochowska-Dudek

Wójcik

2022

Energies

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The article is seeking to analyse the coal transition in three Polish lignite regions as part of the scientific discussion on a just transition, which is a big challenge, especially in the regions and countries dependent on their own coal deposits as the main source of energy. Polish lignite mines are now entering the phase-out of coal, which results from implementing the assumptions of the Green Deal and the Paris climate agreement. The article answers the following question: what is the socio-economic resilience of coal regions in the context of the projected closure of mines in the coming years? The empirical analyses are based on secondary statistical data. The analysis and comparison of basic statistical data, i.e., the level of employment and lignite extraction in three lignite regions in the period from the end of the Second World War to 2017, allowed the authors to determine the phases of the adaptive cycle in which the individual regions are. In the second part of the study, the indicator evaluation method was used in order to calculate the Socio-Economic Resilience Index for individual areas (poviats) included in the coal regions, which made it possible to assess the current resilience and its intra-regional differentiation. The obtained results, which indicate that the regions under analysis are in different phases of the adaptive cycle and reveal their territorial heterogeneity, allow us to assume that the possibilities of a just energy transition of regions depend on the diversity of local conditions and resources, emphasising at the same time the territorial dimension of the issue of the energy transition.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-Economic Resilience of Poland’s Lignite Regions

Dmochowska-Dudek

Wójcik

2022

Energies

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“…Between 1997 and 1999, the Government paid compensatory wages for about 20% of the total workforce in the Jiu Valley, thus rendering them, in effect, redundant. Although discursively, compensatory wages were intended to encourage entrepreneurial initiatives, in practice, the aim was to encourage workers to accept the termination of the employment contract [34,35]. After 2000, there was a quasi-total reduction in mining activity, and policies aimed at ensuring the area's redevelopment were far from having the desired effect [35].…”

Section: Methodology and Case Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[54] (p. 49). Other studies discuss the lack of trust in company managers and union leaders, calling them "the people in the offices," who were seen as being complicit in the closure of the mines [35]. Miners see the relationship with unions in terms of "us and them," perceiving that they have no influence on the union [35].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Other studies discuss the lack of trust in company managers and union leaders, calling them "the people in the offices," who were seen as being complicit in the closure of the mines [35]. Miners see the relationship with unions in terms of "us and them," perceiving that they have no influence on the union [35]. At the same time, since the late 1990s, there has been fragmentation and even conflicts between trade unions as they compete for members and financial gains from mine closures [54] (p. 77).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Post-Coal Fantasies: An Actor-Network Theory-Inspired Critique of Post-Coal Development Strategies in the Jiu Valley, Romania

Țoc

Alexandrescu

2022

Land

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Romania is among the countries with a long history of coal mining, which intensified in the context of the industrialization and urbanization policies during the socialist period. During the post-socialist transition, mining units decreased considerably, with those considered economically unprofitable being restructured and eventually closed. This process, which began in the late 1990s, continues today with the increasing discussions about the transition from coal in Romania, the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the signing of the Paris Agreement, which stipulates the abandonment of coal by 2030. The Jiu Valley region is Romania’s most important mono-industrial area that developed exclusively around coal extraction. This article proposes an analysis of the social impact of reducing mining activity in this area based on actor-network theory. Recently, the discussions on the “Just Transition” in the Jiu Valley have culminated with the “Jiu Valley Economic, Social, and Environmental Development Strategy” (2021–2030) and the related Action Plan. This paper seeks to address the question: how were people “brought in” for the production of coal during socialism, how were they subsequently “pushed out”, and how challenging is it now for the Jiu Valley strategy to reassemble a network to support the post-coal transition? Our analysis helps to understand, in an innovative way, the challenges of the Jiu Valley Strategy as a mismatch between a creative and entrepreneurial city model on the one hand and the ruralized/small urban (former mono-industrial) conditions prevailing in the Jiu Valley on the other. We thus provide a critical analysis of the strategy as one that is conceptually wedded to the large urban center model and applies the just transition framework in a decontextualized way. We emphasize the role of the dismantling of coal production in the narrowing of the space of possibilities of change brought about by the just transition. Using the published literature on the Jiu Valley, we also show what broader lessons can be drawn from this case for similar transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe.

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“…The complexity of societal underpinnings of the triangle of income, energy prices, and lacking energy efficiency has been raised numerous times in previous years, pointing to basic societal structures, including the hegemony of markets, neoliberal agendas, and structural injustices. 75 , 76 , 77 With a wider perspective on sustainability agendas in energy, transport and urban greening, Grossmann et al. 78 show how the priority given to economic concerns is naturalized and how related taboos hinder a game-changing effect of many sustainability debates and policies, also in the field of energy poverty and energy transitions in general.…”

Section: Catalyzing New Research Avenues In the Field Of Energy Povertymentioning

confidence: 99%