Beyond home: Exploring energy poverty among youth in four diverse Pacific island states

Abstract

Theoretical positioning of energy poverty has to date largely been dominated by an adult-centric viewpoint. This article examines the impact of energy poverty on children and young people in developing Pacific islands Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and developed New Zealand. We argue that children and young people have a greater burden of cumulative exposure to energy poverty than adults, which exposes them to greater risks of negative health and wellbeing. We draw on the geographically defined, but economically and politically diverse area of the Pacific islands to provide comparative examples demonstrating how energy policy in both low- and high-income countries entrenches energy inequalities in children and young people. After examining the energy profiles of countries in the Pacific, we provide case examples from our research in Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand to demonstrate the everyday realities of children experiencing energy poverty in the region. We call for a reframing of the energy poverty debate in relation to those who are most vulnerable to climate change and the reshaping of regional- and state- energy policy priorities to address these inequalities.