Overview

Discussions of reducing CO₂ emissions frequently focus on technologies. While technologies are clearly instrumental in transitioning away from fossil fuel–based energy and toward a decarbonized economy, decisions about which technologies are prioritized, how they are implemented, and the policies that drive these changes will have profound effects on people and communities, with important implications for equity, jobs, environmental and energy justice, health, and more. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Committee on Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States: Technology, Policy, and Societal Dimensions was tasked with assessing the broad range of technological, policy, and societal dimensions of decarbonizing the U.S. economy. The committee’s 2021 report¹ provided the U.S. government with a roadmap of equitable and robust decarbonization policies. The committee’s next report will address the broader range of policy actors who play a role in equitable energy transition.

To inform its deliberations, the committee hosted a 1-day workshop to discuss critical issues of equity and justice during the energy transition. The goal of the workshop, titled Pathways to an Equitable and Just Transition: Principles, Best Practices, and Inclusive Stakeholder Engagement, was to move beyond energy technologies and elicit ideas and insights to inform the development of principles, best practices, and

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¹ National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2021, Accelerating Decarbonization of the U.S. Energy System, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, https://doi.org/10.17226/25932.

actionable recommendations for a broad range of policy actors and stakeholders in order to fully operationalize equity, justice, and inclusion. The workshop was held in person in Washington, DC, on July 26, 2022, with additional speakers and attendees joining virtually via Zoom. Recordings, slides, and other materials from the workshop are available online.²

Setting the stage for the workshop discussions, committee member Michael Méndez, University of California, Irvine, noted that a large portion of CO₂ emissions come from distributed sources such as personal vehicles, home heating and air conditioning, and other energy-consuming equipment that individuals own or rent. This means that action on the part of individuals will play a crucial role in decarbonizing the economy, which has significant energy and environmental justice implications. “Navigating through the transformation of that infrastructure through energy efficiency, adoption of new technologies, and the switch to clean electricity—and ensuring that everyone is able to participate and derive significant benefits as a result—will require the active participation, support, and engagement of the American public,” said Méndez. “It is crucial, therefore, that we fully understand that challenge.”

The workshop was organized into four sessions focusing on the following topics: public health, safety, and community resilience; jobs and workforce development opportunities; access to transition technologies, infrastructure, and programs; and energy affordability and burdens. Following presentations and brief discussion sessions on each of these topics, attendees from academia, government agencies, nonprofits, and community-based groups joined roundtable discussions to reflect further on these topics and identify key needs and ideas. The workshop concluded with a wide-ranging discussion of challenges and opportunities involved in setting the United States on the path toward a just and equitable energy transition.

Several key themes and needs emerged over the course of the discussions. Expanding on the workshop’s overall context, many speakers stressed that technology alone cannot solve the problem of decarbonization. Energy access and use is personal and local, and energy policy affects people’s health, finances, and quality of life. Disparities in access to clean energy technologies, energy affordability, and energy insecurity interact with and often reinforce disparities in other areas of society, such as poverty, education, worker exploitation, access to health care, and access to a healthy environment.

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² National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022, “Pathways to an Equitable and Just Transition Workshop,” https://www.nationalacademies.org/event/07-26-2022/accelerating-decarbonization-in-the-united-states-technology-policy-and-societal-dimensions-pathways-to-an-equitable-and-just-transition-workshop.

Despite the many challenges of advancing a clean energy transition both swiftly and thoughtfully, recent research and city- and state-level initiatives offer valuable insights and lessons learned to inform future efforts to create a just energy transition in which all communities share the benefits and burdens. Participants underscored the importance of data to support a shared understanding of energy burdens and energy poverty. Metrics on energy costs, reliability, usage, and needs—across different types of households and communities—will be vital to designing solutions that are appropriate for the context of people’s lives and guiding where and how assistance is most needed.

Decarbonization will undoubtedly have implications for people employed in fossil fuel–based industries that will be phased out, pointing to a critical need to consider ways to make the energy transition just and equitable for workers in addition to energy consumers and society more broadly. Participants explored how decarbonization can be leveraged as an opportunity to create high-quality, long-term jobs and careers and examined roles for government programs and grassroots organizations in ensuring historically disadvantaged communities can realize the benefits of this opportunity. Participants also stressed the importance of supporting resilience and foregrounding environmental justice and health for both workers and their communities.

Across all of these areas, participants emphasized the central role of broad-based coalitions to create community-driven and co-designed solutions. This means taking a people-first approach, being attentive to community priorities, and seeking locally relevant solutions. Participants also emphasized the importance of learning from local, small-scale projects that could have a larger impact and the authentic inclusion of and shared decision-making with those whose work, health, or communities have been directly affected by fossil fuels.

Equity is foundational to ensuring that the clean energy transition is truly transformative; communities do not benefit from clean energy technologies when they cannot access them. Given that funding many of the changes discussed as part of decarbonization could necessitate rate increases for customers, there is a risk that low-income and historically disadvantaged groups could become further overburdened if the transition is not thoughtfully managed and centered in the lived experiences of these communities. Participants stressed the need to ensure that those who face the greatest burdens from the fossil fuel economy—and those who face the highest rates of energy insecurity today—are “first in line” to benefit from the clean energy transition, rather than being left behind.