Hydrosocial dynamics and environmental justice in water-energy transitions

Energy and water systems are currently undergoing significant changes in response to climate change. New infrastructure proposals frequently seek to improve resilience and sustainability of energy and water supplies. Yet, these projects are often met with public controversy, including accusations of localized environmental injustice.

This research examines the different ways in which communities, policymakers, and developers think about environmental justice in relation to infrastructure at the intersection of water and energy. The research focuses on an issue of increasing importance given ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change through transforming the water and energy sectors.

The project will investigate how water-energy transitions and governance can be more attentive to environmental justice and community concerns. The research will engage communities directly, including Indigenous communities, and will result in a policy-facing report with community-generated recommendations in addition to academic publications.

The goal of this research is to advance understanding of the multiple perspectives on proposed water-energy nexus infrastructure and resource extraction projects, focusing on issues of environmental justice and perceptions of hydrosocial changes. The research uses qualitative methods to understand: (1) How are neighboring communities reacting to water-energy projects intended to mitigate or adapt to climate change, and the associated changes to hydrosocial dynamics? (2) What are the overlaps and differences between the ways that neighboring communities, policymakers, and developers imagine hydrosocial change and environmental justice in relation to water-energy infrastructures? (3) How are claims of environmental (in)justice framed and operationalized by public agencies, courts, environmental groups, community organizations, Tribal governments, and others involved in water-energy governance?

The research contributes a stronger understanding of how different actors imagine the reshaping of hydrosocial flows and spaces through activities often considered “green” that, in practice, involve critical environmental justice issues.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.