“An unjust transition is not sustainable”. Climate justice and the effects of hydropower expansion in Georgia under Georgian Dream

Abstract

This research examines the prevalence of climate justice in Georgia’s hydropower sector under the current Georgian Dream government. Georgia is a country highly dependent on its hydropower resources in efforts to increase its energy security, but how this energy policy affects people and planet is not widely examined. A discourse analysis of existing literature was incorporated into data from reports and interviews. This research finds that there has been a significant improvement in the legislation which exists around climate and hydropower issues in Georgia in recent years to facilitate a more just energy system, but the implementation of this legislation is severely lacking. As such, there are limited signs of climate justice in the hydropower sector in Georgia. By applying the three tenets of climate justice; distributive, recognitional, and procedural, this research explores how both people and planet are affected by hydropower expansion, as well as alternative renewable energies which could be included in Georgia’s electricity balance.