Paper short abstract:

Building upon the growing literature of energy justice, I introduce an Energy Justice Gini Index as a new tool to evaluate the spatial unevenness in large-scale and high-risk energy production and its connection to socioeconomic strata.

Paper long abstract:

Human society's perspective on energy is an embodiment of the social and cultural values of each era. In industrial societies, energy systems are understood as an essential enabler of material growth and prosperity. To fulfill the mission of providing affluent and low-cost services, modern energy facilities have become larger and technically more complex. However, such an industrialist energy landscape has created serious socio-ecological crises like climate change and social injustice. In recent years, the concept of 'energy justice' has seen explosive growth in the field, offering unconventional viewpoints on contemporary energy challenges. In hopes of adding further momentum to this endeavor, this study presents a new metric called the Energy Justice Gini Index (EJGI). The Index is designed to measure the uneven geography of large-scale and high-risk energy facilities and its relation to socioeconomic strata. The EJGI holds two useful features. First, it quantifies the unfair sharing of risks associated with energy production emphasizing the spatial dimension of energy injustice. Second, it is expressed in the same form as the Gini Coefficient (a widely used metric of income disparities) so it can be accessible to policymakers and the public. As a case study, I investigate the justice implications of South Korea's nuclear power network using the EJGI framework. The results show that risks of harm associated with the nuclear plants have been placed heavily on the shoulder of socioeconomically vulnerable communities while the benefit of the power network is enjoyed primarily by those living far from potential risks.