EmpowerMed project is happy to share this opinion piece published in FORESIGHT Climate & Energy by EmpowerMed partner Sergio Tirado Herrero, PhD, of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technologies (ICTA) at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).
The opinion piece reflects upon this critical review of EU-funded projects from an energy poverty and spatial and gender inequalities perspective, which EmpowerMed published earlier this year.
As a summary of recommendations, the report calls to:
– reconsider energy saving through behaviour change goals as vulnerable households often struggle to achieve a minimum level of domestic energy services for a life with dignity;
– carefully incorporate gender dimensions and avoid the reinforcing dominant household relationships and models in climate and energy poverty action;
– re-empower affected households beyond a symptomatic treatment of energy poverty.