P2: Justice Analysis: Mobility Justice
Justice Analysis
Mobility justice issues arise when attempting the transition to sustainable yet socially just mobilities (Sheller,2018). Transitioning to electric vehicles is crucial in achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. The distribution of burden and benefits on the Global North and South remains drastically unbalanced, pushing us to reconsider the interplay between environment, climate, society and energy through a mobility justice framework (Sheller, 2018).
Environmental justice is a key implication of the EV transition (Martiskainen, 2020). Internal combustion engines produce pollutants like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter contributing to air pollution. These are known to disregard low-income and marginalised communities due to their geographical placement to highways, industrial areas or sources of concentrated emissions leading to increased risk to respiratory illnesses (Silveira and Pritchard, no date). This highlights a pattern of environmental injustice where vulnerable demographics are left to bear a disproportionate amount of environmental and health costs of fuel powered vehicles (Martiskainen, 2020). A just EV transition would tackle this inequity by ensuring vulnerable communities directly benefit from the affects of reduced air pollution like improved health. Investments in efficient renewable energy innovations would drive the reduction of total pollution burden promoting sustainable development (Sheller, 2018).
Climate justice is the social and economic accountability that needs to be claimed by the demographics inflicting the negative externalities of emission production (Sheller, 2018). Wealthy, industrialised communities have contributed to GHG emissions through high rates of car ownership and fossil fuel usage are responsible for leading the adoption of the EV transition. Climate justice pushes for these countries to share the benefits of EV technology and infrastructure while simultaneously reducing emissions through social, organisational and institutional innovation (Silveira and Pritchard, no date).
Social and economic injustice lay the foundation for ensuring equitable access to EVs (Silveira and Pritchard, no date). EVs are more expensive than fuel-powered vehicles creating a barrier to accessibility for low-income individuals. Economic justice requires policy intervention which pushes mechanisms like targeted subsidies, grands and affordable leasing opportunities to have a broader reach. Without this, economic inequalities may worsen targeting vulnerable demographics (Sheller, 2018). From a business perspective, it is instrumental to embed a wider social purpose in corporate culture in a profitable way through resource allocation while acknowledging the social issues at the root (Silveira and Pritchard, no date). Then an innovative structure with external networks can be created to implement these solutions (Silveira and Pritchard, no date).
Energy and procedural justice emphasizes the value of access to clean, reliable and affordable energy access as the transition to EVs deepens in areas where this is limited (Sheller, 2018). It is essential to address this in the context of extracting resources for EV batteries like lithium and cobalt as they are sourced in developing regions with poor labour conditions and environmental protection (Mariskainen, 2020). Ethical sourcing throughout the supply chain also ensures the benefits of EVs do not exploit or inflict environmental harm elsewhere. Procedural justice highlights the importance of inclusivity and transparency in policy decision making to 'deterritorialize processes' to tackle global inequalities (Sheller, 2018).
Addressing these justice implications of the EV transition requires recognition and adaptation of past environmental injustice to ensure equitable access to the benefits, responsible sourcing and inclusivity in decision-making.
References:
Martiskainen, M. 2020. Transitioning to low-carbon transport must address social justice issues alongside emissions reductions. [Online]. [31.10.2024]. Available from: https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/sussexenergygroup/2020/10/06/transitioning-to-low-carbon-transport-must-address-social-justice-issues-alongside-emissions-reductions/
Silveira, A; Pritchard, P. No date. Justice in the transition to a low carbon economy. University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. [31.10.2024]. Available from:
Sheller, M. 2018. Theorising mobility justice. Drexel University. [31.10.2024]. Available from: https://www.scielo.br/j/ts/a/wv4Pj5n9HJqNv7J7R3RpyWP/?format=pdf&lang=en