A human rights approach to energy: Realizing the rights of billions within ecological limits

Energy is central to both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement and a prerequisite to the realization of human rights for billions of people. Yet the nexus between human rights, climate change and energy remains underdeveloped in international law and practice. This article considers the potential and limitations of a ‘human rights approach’ to energy to accelerate progress towards universal access to modern energy services while addressing climate change and inequalities. It considers three distinct elements of a human rights approach to energy: a discursive element; a mainstreaming element; and a litigation element. In exploring the potential contributions of each of these elements to a just energy transition, it demonstrates how a human rights approach to energy can help to address some of the shortcomings of the Sustainable Development Goals related to energy and climate.