José Antonio Rojas Nieto: Political economy of energy: the fourth

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Let me reiterate that Building a long-term energy future requires extensive and intense social participation, capable of establishing renewed social, personal, family, collective, public, business, agricultural, industrial, commercial, and financial habits, to say the least.

It is undoubtedly true that, along with these habits—often bad habits—at least five strategic guidelines are required, five essential impulses to guide our energy transformation, which evidently includes our energy transition:

1) A push for changes in the economic structure, undoubtedly supported by social changes; 2) a push for technological change capable of originating, energizing, and supporting renewed social habits; 3) a push for conducive, motivating, and congruent, long-term, and consistent public policies; 4) a push toward digitalization capable of supporting and encouraging, even inspiring, the targeted changes; 5) a push toward a maximum disruption of the relationship between energy consumption and economic development, so that we achieve maximum well-being with the minimum possible energy expenditure.

Today, we can also say that the fundamental indicators that allow us to evaluate the success of our energy transformation are: 1) decreasing energy intensity, with solid labor participation in the renewed industrial processes and a clear focus on reducing costs; 2) increasing clean energy, with clean social agreements, especially on communal, collective, ejido, municipal, state, federal, and private lands with at least hydraulic, geothermal, wind, and solar resources; 3) similarly increasing electrification in end uses, with attention to the quality and reliability of supply and fair treatment of electrical workers and public service users; 4) maximum encouragement—but optimal in terms of resources and requirements—of distributed forms of generation, primarily in homes and small artisanal, industrial, and commercial establishments; 5) financial integrity in every sense, at all levels, and in all areas.

This, obviously—I reiterate—requires social consensus, but eventually, regulations that penalize energy waste, abuse, rent-seeking, speculation, and usury, wherever they occur, among other social phenomena we suffer. This is the only way we will achieve both a fair volume of fuel and electricity to sustain a renewed social life, as well as a similarly fair structure and distribution, and fair production and consumption of fuel and electricity.

Public policies can and should foster, promote, and sustain these renewed habits, but they will never replace social strength and drive.

Energy justice demands social behaviors that reduce ecological damage, combat climate disaster, eliminate speculation and abuse, and foster greater well-being for societies.

And, without a doubt, a more encouraging outlook on life, with greater hope for a gradual but steady decline in inequality. Truly.

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