Challenges in Addressing Energy Injustice in ASEAN

The phrase energy justice has become the buzzword in international human rights law. The central theme of energy justice is essentially attaining and securing equality between social, economic and political participation in the energy system. Ergo, this chapter seeks to critically discuss the ongoing challenges faced by ASEAN in confronting energy injustices in the region. It also ventures into the discussion of the theory or concept of energy justice. In discussing the electrification process in ASEAN, this chapter also examines the development and the challenges of such a process in almost each and every state in ASEAN. Given the status of Singapore as a developed nation, it is deliberately excluded from the discussion. The demand for ASEAN to swiftly shift into renewable energy has been growing day by day. At the end of the day, ASEAN’s enormous challenge is its huge dilemma in picking and choosing between two major priorities: either to succumb to international pressures by completely moving to renewable energy thus disregarding the people’s plight or to stick and maintain the status quo by absolutely ignoring such international pressures.