just good renewables
the Sustainable Renewable Energy initiative
The world needs to shift to renewable energy to arrest climate catastrophe.
But harnessing renewable energy sources poses its own set of challenges in the generation of power, mimicking some of the harms of fossil fuels.
Sustainable renewable energy or simply “good renewables” are primary renewable energy sources for electricity that harness the wind and sun while leaving minimal impact on the environment.
Join the movement and sign our petition below, for the government to embrace good renewables!
SIGN OUR PETITION!
Secretary Raphael Lotilla
Department of Energy
The just transition to renewable energy will pull the world back from the brink of climate catastrophe.
But not all energy sources are created equal.
Good renewables harness the power of the sun and wind (and water, for micro hydro) while leaving minimal harm on the environment. Paired with principles of justice, good renewables are the future of power generation.
We urge the Department of Energy to
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Scale up government support for and increase the share of sustainable renewable energy or good renewables in the country’s power generation mix while
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Promoting a just energy transition by ensuring that communities
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are consulted on RE projects;
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enjoy a share of profits and in the electricity generated by a project; and
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can file complaints against RE corporations which commit violations.
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RE projects must not also harm the environment.
What is sustainable renewable energy?
Renewability accounts for the rate an energy source replenishes itself. Under this category, wind and solar qualify as renewable sources, while coal does not.
Sustainability factors in the net environment and social impacts of renewable energy projects. Some of these sources are, in fact, considered pseudo renewables because of their outsize negative environmental and social footprint. Liquefied natural gas (LNG), hydrogen, and large-scale hydro typify pseudo renewables. Projects involving these energy sources are typically capital intensive, require massive tracts of land, produce high levels of pollutants, endanger biodiversity or displace communities.
Sustainable renewable energy or simply “good renewables” are thus primary renewable energy sources for electricity that harness the wind and sun while leaving minimal environmental and social impacts.
Upholding justice
To minimize the impact on communities, SRE projects
must observe four core principles of justice.
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PROCEDURAL justice to ensure that communities are part of decision making around SRE projects;
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DISTRIBUTIVE justice so that communities enjoy the electricity generated from solar or wind projects and enjoy a share of profits generated where the project is situated in their land or ancestral domains;
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REMEDIAL justice is available to communities affected by SRE projects and have access to redress mechanisms; and
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RESTORATIVE justice to safeguard the environment against further harm and finance rehabilitation.
the SRE initiative is convened by LRC under the iJET Project of Oxfam Pilipinas.
