The Regulation and Policy of Latin American Energy Transitions
Abstract Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as w... more Abstract Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as social aspects. However, policymakers tend to overlook the latter and privilege the former. This omission has vast implications on the energy system, such as the opposition to the deployment of wind or solar farms, and other energy facilities by sectors of the local population that face disenfranchisement. This chapter sets out Mexico’s regulatory policy in this subject and the ways in which the legal instrument ruling the energy transition has incorporated social aspects. It elaborates on the influence of grassroots movements in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in highlighting the importance of inclusion of local population to achieve just energy transitions. The chapter seeks to understand the ways in which top-down public policies are modified by bottom-up social movements.
Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as so... more Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as social aspects. However, policymakers tend to overlook the latter and privilege the former. This omission has vast implications on the energy system, such as the opposition to the deployment of wind or solar farms, and other energy facilities by sectors of the local population that face disenfranchisement. This chapter sets out Mexico’s regulatory policy in this subject and the ways in which the legal instrument ruling the energy transition has incorporated social aspects. It elaborates on the influence of grassroots movements in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in highlighting the importance of inclusion of local population to achieve just energy transitions. The chapter seeks to understand the ways in which top-down public policies are modified by bottom-up social movements.
A Matter of Design Making Society Through Science and Technology, Jun 5, 2014
During the Futurescape City Tours, citizens engaged in an urban walking experience that involved ... more During the Futurescape City Tours, citizens engaged in an urban walking experience that involved observing, documenting and deliberating about the past, present and future of technology in the urban environment. Central to this experience was the use of photography as the place of work where the citizen-photographers used a visual language to grant meaning and structure to their experience. Drawing on Barthe's (1980) idea of semiology as a construction of meaning through the exploration and identification of systematic regularities of signs and objects, as well on Benjamin's (1999) notion that there is no photography without discourse, this paper demonstrates what these individuals see as their relationship to their city as portrayed through photographic observations, it illustrates the uses and power of an image to mediate discourse and representations of technological change in the city. Furthermore, this paper details the rational and need for these type of engagement practices to generate new tools for anticipatory learning as a means for achieving transformation at the actor’s level. Drawing on the pathways approach towards sustainability (Leach et. al. 2010), FCT provides insights towards the construction of a new framework for analyzing the role of active citizenship and the ability to construct different socio-environmental futures (Swyngedouw 2011) that contributes to the increasing body of literature that calls for new methodologies aiming at transforming society towards better understanding at what the sustainability goals for the future of the cities are and how to achieve them.
Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), Jan 14, 2016
Public engagement with science and technology is now widely used in science policy and communicat... more Public engagement with science and technology is now widely used in science policy and communication. Touted as a means of enhancing democratic discussion of science and technology, analysis of public engagement with science and technology has shown that it is often weakly tied to scientific governance. In this article, we suggest that the notion of capacity building might be a way of reframing the democratic potential of public engagement with science and technology activities. Drawing on literatures from public policy and administration, we outline how public engagement with science and technology might build citizen capacity, before using the notion of capacity building to develop five principles for the design of public engagement with science and technology. We demonstrate the use of these principles through a discussion of the development and realization of the pilot for a large-scale public engagement with science and technology activity, the Futurescape City Tours, which was...
ABSTRACT This short communication suggests the need to attend carefully to the social value of en... more ABSTRACT This short communication suggests the need to attend carefully to the social value of energy in designing projects to reduce energy poverty. We define the social value of energy in terms of the total value derived by an individual or community from the use of energy, including economic and other forms of value, less any risks or burdens that accompany energy production, transmission, and consumption. This simple definition enables two significant assessments. First, the social value of energy projects can be compared to their costs, to evaluate whether projects are worth investing in, even if they may appear uneconomic in narrower terms. This is especially significant in contexts such as off-grid or renewable energy projects that may have higher energy costs. Second, the socio-technical design of energy projects can be evaluated to determine whether the project will deliver the kinds of energy services, via appropriate strategies, that enhance social value.
ABSTRACT The Emerge event, held in Tempe, AZ in March 2012, brought together a range of scientist... more ABSTRACT The Emerge event, held in Tempe, AZ in March 2012, brought together a range of scientists, artists, futurists, engineers and students in order to experiment with innovative methods for thinking about the future. These methodological techniques were tested through nine workshops, each of which made use of a different format; Emerge as a whole, then, offered an opportunity to study a diverse set of future-oriented engagement practices. We conducted an event ethnography, in which a team of 11 researchers collaboratively developed accounts of the practices at play within Emerge and its workshops. In this article we discuss findings from this ethnography, using our data both to describe the techniques used within Emerge and to analyse key patterns which occurred around those techniques. As we close we reflect on the implications of these findings for practice, suggesting ways in which our results can help hone the tools and techniques of future studies.
The Regulation and Policy of Latin American Energy Transitions
Abstract Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as w... more Abstract Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as social aspects. However, policymakers tend to overlook the latter and privilege the former. This omission has vast implications on the energy system, such as the opposition to the deployment of wind or solar farms, and other energy facilities by sectors of the local population that face disenfranchisement. This chapter sets out Mexico’s regulatory policy in this subject and the ways in which the legal instrument ruling the energy transition has incorporated social aspects. It elaborates on the influence of grassroots movements in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in highlighting the importance of inclusion of local population to achieve just energy transitions. The chapter seeks to understand the ways in which top-down public policies are modified by bottom-up social movements.
Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as so... more Energy transitions are complex undertakings that encompass techno-economic features as well as social aspects. However, policymakers tend to overlook the latter and privilege the former. This omission has vast implications on the energy system, such as the opposition to the deployment of wind or solar farms, and other energy facilities by sectors of the local population that face disenfranchisement. This chapter sets out Mexico’s regulatory policy in this subject and the ways in which the legal instrument ruling the energy transition has incorporated social aspects. It elaborates on the influence of grassroots movements in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in highlighting the importance of inclusion of local population to achieve just energy transitions. The chapter seeks to understand the ways in which top-down public policies are modified by bottom-up social movements.
A Matter of Design Making Society Through Science and Technology, Jun 5, 2014
During the Futurescape City Tours, citizens engaged in an urban walking experience that involved ... more During the Futurescape City Tours, citizens engaged in an urban walking experience that involved observing, documenting and deliberating about the past, present and future of technology in the urban environment. Central to this experience was the use of photography as the place of work where the citizen-photographers used a visual language to grant meaning and structure to their experience. Drawing on Barthe's (1980) idea of semiology as a construction of meaning through the exploration and identification of systematic regularities of signs and objects, as well on Benjamin's (1999) notion that there is no photography without discourse, this paper demonstrates what these individuals see as their relationship to their city as portrayed through photographic observations, it illustrates the uses and power of an image to mediate discourse and representations of technological change in the city. Furthermore, this paper details the rational and need for these type of engagement practices to generate new tools for anticipatory learning as a means for achieving transformation at the actor’s level. Drawing on the pathways approach towards sustainability (Leach et. al. 2010), FCT provides insights towards the construction of a new framework for analyzing the role of active citizenship and the ability to construct different socio-environmental futures (Swyngedouw 2011) that contributes to the increasing body of literature that calls for new methodologies aiming at transforming society towards better understanding at what the sustainability goals for the future of the cities are and how to achieve them.
Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), Jan 14, 2016
Public engagement with science and technology is now widely used in science policy and communicat... more Public engagement with science and technology is now widely used in science policy and communication. Touted as a means of enhancing democratic discussion of science and technology, analysis of public engagement with science and technology has shown that it is often weakly tied to scientific governance. In this article, we suggest that the notion of capacity building might be a way of reframing the democratic potential of public engagement with science and technology activities. Drawing on literatures from public policy and administration, we outline how public engagement with science and technology might build citizen capacity, before using the notion of capacity building to develop five principles for the design of public engagement with science and technology. We demonstrate the use of these principles through a discussion of the development and realization of the pilot for a large-scale public engagement with science and technology activity, the Futurescape City Tours, which was...
ABSTRACT This short communication suggests the need to attend carefully to the social value of en... more ABSTRACT This short communication suggests the need to attend carefully to the social value of energy in designing projects to reduce energy poverty. We define the social value of energy in terms of the total value derived by an individual or community from the use of energy, including economic and other forms of value, less any risks or burdens that accompany energy production, transmission, and consumption. This simple definition enables two significant assessments. First, the social value of energy projects can be compared to their costs, to evaluate whether projects are worth investing in, even if they may appear uneconomic in narrower terms. This is especially significant in contexts such as off-grid or renewable energy projects that may have higher energy costs. Second, the socio-technical design of energy projects can be evaluated to determine whether the project will deliver the kinds of energy services, via appropriate strategies, that enhance social value.
ABSTRACT The Emerge event, held in Tempe, AZ in March 2012, brought together a range of scientist... more ABSTRACT The Emerge event, held in Tempe, AZ in March 2012, brought together a range of scientists, artists, futurists, engineers and students in order to experiment with innovative methods for thinking about the future. These methodological techniques were tested through nine workshops, each of which made use of a different format; Emerge as a whole, then, offered an opportunity to study a diverse set of future-oriented engagement practices. We conducted an event ethnography, in which a team of 11 researchers collaboratively developed accounts of the practices at play within Emerge and its workshops. In this article we discuss findings from this ethnography, using our data both to describe the techniques used within Emerge and to analyse key patterns which occurred around those techniques. As we close we reflect on the implications of these findings for practice, suggesting ways in which our results can help hone the tools and techniques of future studies.
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Papers by Carlo Altamirano Allende