Fuelling injustice? Safeguarding equity in anti‐fossil fuel norms
| Published date | 01 November 2024 |
| Author | Anisha Nazareth,Zoha Shawoo,Cleo Verkuijl,Harro Asselt |
| Date | 01 November 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13451 |
Global Policy. 2024;15:979 –98 8.
|
979
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gpol
POLICY ANALYSIS
Fuelling injustice? Safeguarding equity in anti- fossil fuel
norms
AnishaNazareth1 | ZohaShawoo1 | CleoVerkuijl1 | Harrovan Asselt2,3
Received: 8 June 2 023
|
Revised: 23 August 2 024
|
Accepted: 5 Septe mber 2024
DO I: 10 .1111/17 58- 589 9.13 451
© 2024 Durham Univer sity and John Wiley & Son s Ltd.
1Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
US Center, Somerville, Massachusetts,
USA
2University of E astern Finland Law
School, Joensuu, Finland
3Department o f Land Economy, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Correspondence
Anisha Nazareth, Stockholm Environment
Institute (SEI) US Cente r, 11 C urtis
Avenue, Somervi lle, MA 02144- 1224, USA.
Email: anisha.nazareth@sei.org
Abstract
This article explores anti- fossil fuel norms (AFFNs), which set behavioral stand-
ards for phasing out practices and proce sses across the fossil fuel supply chain.
In recent years, AFFNs have emerged and become increasingly institutionalized
in global climate governance. However, they remain contested and have not yet
achieved widespread acceptance. Much of the c ontestation concerns the per-
ceived equity of these norms. Drawing on insig hts from the literature on AFFNs
and expert interviews, this arti cle investigates equity- related issues that arise in
the context of four key AFFNs: phasing out coal- fired power, phasing out oil and
gas, ending public financing for fossil fuels, an d reforming fossil fuel subsidies.
We find that each of these norms is well placed to contribute to a shif t away from
a fossil fuel- based economy. However, these nor ms are often framed in ways
that do not account for the distributional impac ts of this shift, which may lead to
unintended and inequitable conseq uences. We conclude that AFFNs need to
be developed and deployed to actively consider the nee ds of marginalized com-
munities. Policymakers and non- governmental organizations ca n work together
to develop norms that prioritize addressing equity an d distributional justice con-
cerns in the transition away from fossil fuels.
1 | THE RISE OF ANTI- FOSSIL
FUEL NORMS IN GLOBAL CLIMATE
GOVERNANCE
To achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global
warming to 1.5°C, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
sions must fall to net zero by 2050 (IEA,20 21b). There
is broad consensus that this will require moving away
from fossil- fuel- based energy systems (IEA, 20 21b;
IPCC,2022; UNFCCC,2023).
Historically, global moral norms—i.e., norms ‘that
[pertain] to states and globally significant non- state
actors (such as international organizations and multi-
national corporations) and [originate] from concerted at-
tempts to change what counts as appropriate behaviour
for those agents in line with a conception of justi ce or
ethics’ (Green, 2018a , 104)—have been used to great
effect to condition states and citizens to see cer tain prac-
tices as inherently wrong regardless of the p otential eco-
nomic benefits of such practices to the s tate or certain
individuals (Green,2018b; March & Olsen,2004;). There
are other, similar concepts that can be employed to shift
social narratives and influence behavior such as prin ci-
ples or values. Finnemore & Sikkink,199 8 conceptualize
moral norms as different from these other rules in t hat
they are prescriptive—they describe behavior that cer-
tain actors should take to adhere to a globally held stan -
dard, principle, or value. To be successful, moral norms
must be widely (even universally) accepted. To move
from norm emergence (where a normative idea is intro-
duced to a wide audience) to norm acceptance, a crit ical
mass of actors must agree to adopt the norm (Finnemore
& Sikkink,19 98). Norm entrepreneurs usually introduce
the norm and frame it to counter contestation and achieve
resonance with target actors— usually this is done by
framing normative ideas to align with existing accepted
norms (Gest etal.,2013). To be successful, moral norms
must be framed to reflect a genuinely shared under-
standing of morality between the t arget audience or risk
being perceived as illegitimate (Payne,2001).
Following the example set by other global move-
ments that successfully pressured governments to
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