This study, blending a public policy report and an academic article, originated from an EU-LAC Foundation and CLACSO call for comparative research on inequality between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean, aimed at generating policy-relevant insights.
The authors, researchers from the academic sphere, drew on the tools of scientific research while also striving to use accessible language for an audience broader than the strictly academic. As such, the text deliberately navigates the boundary between broad accessibility and methodological rigour.
Energy inequality is a manifestation of the structural divides within our societies. Implementing policies to reduce energy inequality requires a comprehensive approach that combines three key elements: intensity (adaptation to different types of deprivation), territorial focus (in light of contextual differences), and targeting (addressed to particularly vulnerable social groups). While there are clear interrelations between economic poverty and energy inequality, these are not entirely overlapping phenomena. Without the adoption of public policies — in the short, medium, and long term — with an intersectional, territorial, and multidimensional approach, the energy transition risks deepening exclusion. This study offers tools for designing fairer and more effective policies that integrate energy, equity, and social rights.