JWELB Call for Papers – Exploring the Social and Economic Impacts of the Energy Transition

Expressions of interest requested by November 30, 2021
Submissions due March 30, 2022

The Human Side of Climate Change
Exploring the Social and Economic Impacts of the Energy Transition

The Journal of World Energy Law and Business (JWELB) is a peer-reviewed publication of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators and is published by Oxford University Press. JWELB currently seeks articles for publication during 2022 that are related to the below topics.

The JWELB welcomes contributions that take a pragmatic approach to the practicalities of the radical transformation of the energy sector, with an emphasis on the feasibility of the energy transition at the speed and scale currently proposed by international policy makers, and the human side of the energy transition.

This Call for Papers will explore the socio-economic effects of the energy transition, focusing, in particular, on the following themes:

• The feasibility of the speed and scale of policies and measures to implement the energy transition in both developed and developing countries.
• How employment transitions in the energy sector can be effectively managed to minimize job losses and advance new employment opportunities, including for displaced employees. We particularly welcome empirical papers based on interviews with affected employees and drawing from past experiences and best practices of managing employment disruptions in the energy sector.
• The risks of wider socioeconomic effects that unemployment and under-employment resulting from the energy transition could have for societies, such as an increase in inequality within and across countries or structural socio-demographic changes.

Background

Climate change has arisen as one of the greatest challenges of our times. The transformation of the global energy sector to combat climate change has been figuring prominently in the agenda of international policy makers for a long time. At the heart of this energy transition lies the imperative of reducing energy-related CO2 emissions, which are already rebounding sharply as economies recover from last year’s pandemic-induced shock. To put it in the words of the IEA, tackling the climate crisis requires nothing short of a total transformation of the energy systems that underpin our economies. In this context, the world has a huge challenge ahead of it to move the transition to net zero emissions by 2050 from a narrow possibility to a practical reality.

Against this background, this Call for Papers explores ways that can move the energy transition “from a narrow possibility to a practical reality”. In identifying these practicalities, the focus is on an under-explored, yet particularly important, side of the energy transition: its social and economic impacts. As the IEA has observed, “the transition to net zero is for and about people” and its scale and speed cannot be achieved without sustained support and participation from citizens. While the transition to net zero brings substantial new opportunities for employment, these opportunities are often in different locations, skill sets and sectors than the jobs that will be lost as the use of fossil fuels declines. Millions of jobs, many of which well-paid and requiring specific skills, are expected to be lost. The structural changes that the energy transition will bring to the employment sector can cause large-scale and persistent shocks to communities. In this environment of disruption, policy makers advancing the energy transition need to pay careful consideration to these socio-economic effects and manage employment losses to minimize hardships ensuing from the radical changes in the job market.

Publication Information

Articles should be between 6,000 and 8,000 words and will be independently peer reviewed before publication. Proposals or abstracts should be submitted as early as possible for review and approval. Initial expressions of interest are expected by 30 November 2021. The deadline for the submission of papers is 30 March 2022. Please direct any questions to JWELB Commissioning Editor, Ms. Sarah Harris, at sarah.harris@oup.com.

View the instructions to authors for additional information on publishing with JWELB. Authors may submit their articles through the JWELB submission site here.

More information on the AIPN Journal of World Energy Law and Business may be found by clicking here.