From “just” energy to energy justice? Imaginaries of fair wind power in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico

Since the beginning of the century, the region of the Tehuantepec Isthmus in the Mexican state of Oaxaca became the epicentre of a wide network for social resistance to utility-scale wind power (USWP) led by rural and indigenous communities. To date, many authors have identified and discussed different energy justice concerns related to distributive, procedural and recognition dimensions of justice which have fuelled local resistance and hindered a sustainable energy transition in Mexico. This paper contributes to the topic of decolonial energy transitions by discussing alternatives to wind power that effectively align low-carbon transitions to individuals’ and local communities’ welfare and well-being. To do so, this paper advocates for energy justice as an analytical tool that facilitates reflecting on the efforts of local communities to pursue their needs and wants while contributing, or not, to efforts of mitigating climate change. This paper draws from qualitative data from 58 interviews conducted across different communities in the Tehuantepec Isthmus and a series of workshops in the community of Union Hidalgo. The paper reflects on how alternative community or bottom-up models and “anti” approaches to wind power and other low-carbon technologies could contribute to decolonising low-carbon energy transitions, framing them not only as an opportunity to mitigate global climate change, but to fight systemic and historical imbalances across Mexico, Latin America and other territories in the Global South.