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Climate Justice Concerns and Human Rights Trade-Offs in Ethiopia’s Green Economy Transition: The Case of Gibe III

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What are you doing? You are talking about green economy to protect human rights. But at the same time this is causing problems on the local people. You are taking away their land, which means their right to food, their right to life […] (Interview Domestic NGO, Ethiopia).

Abstract

In this research article, I emphasize the meaning of procedural rights for just transition to Green Economy. I argue that different justice arguments play a role in the context of Green Economy policies but can be traded-off against one another. Whereas intergenerational and international injustice can be diminished by zero-carbon policies, Green Economy transition processes can exacerbate already existing intrasocietal injustices. This is even more the case if vulnerable societal groups cannot participate and are not adequately represented in repressive political systems. In such cases, installing procedural justice mechanisms and comprehensively considering different justice concerns in Green Economy policies can lead to more sustainable outcomes. My empirical analysis focuses on Ethiopia as a case study placing an emphasis on the hydroelectric Gibe III dam. Empirically, it is based on a content analysis of policy documents and field research comprising expert interviews with governmental representatives, international organizations and civil society.

Résumé

Dans cet article de recherche, je mets l’accent sur la signification des droits procéduraux pour une transition juste vers une économie verte. Je soutiens que différents arguments de justice jouent un rôle dans le contexte des politiques d’économie verte, mais peuvent être interchangeables. Alors que les injustices intergénérationnelles et internationales peuvent être atténuées par des politiques zéro carbone, les processus de transition vers une économie verte peuvent exacerber les injustices déjà existantes au sein de la société. Cela est d’autant plus probable si les groupes sociétaux vulnérables ne peuvent pas participer et ne sont pas correctement représentés dans des systèmes politiques répressifs. Dans ces cas-là, la mise en place de mécanismes de justice procédurale et la prise en compte globale des différents problèmes de justice dans les politiques d’économie verte peuvent conduire à des résultats plus durables. Mon analyse empirique se concentre sur l’Éthiopie en tant qu’étude de cas et met l’accent sur le barrage hydroélectrique Gibe III. Empiriquement, mon analyse se base sur une revue documentaire de documents politiques et d’articles de recherche sur le terrain. Cela inclut des entretiens d’experts avec des représentants gouvernementaux, des organisations internationales ainsi que la société civile.

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Notes

  1. Once the Grand Renaissance Dam is in operation, this will be the largest dam in Ethiopia.

  2. An additional climate injustice dimension relating to the non-human world is interspecies justice (Nussbaum 2006, p. 327).

  3. A second state of emergency was declared in February 2018 after first Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn unexpectedly resigned from office.

  4. The Grand Renaissance Dam is still under construction but if completed, will be the largest dam in Ethiopia.

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Schapper, A. Climate Justice Concerns and Human Rights Trade-Offs in Ethiopia’s Green Economy Transition: The Case of Gibe III. Eur J Dev Res 33, 1952–1972 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00340-6

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