From Climate Discrimination to the Right to Energy: Ideological Foundations for a Just Energy Transition in the Global South

The article examines the current practice of climate discrimination of the countries of Global South. Climate discrimination is considered as a set of institutional, normative and discursive practices that impose universal models of low-carbon transition without taking into account the historical features and socio-economic realities of developing countries. The article gives the signs of this phenomenon. As a result of climate discrimination, fossil fuels are discredited, which only exacerbates inequality and poverty in the modern world. This happens despite the fact that developed countries are historically responsible for accumulated anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. For BRICS, identifying and articulating the problem of climate discrimination creates an opportunity not only to defend their own national interests but also to offer developing countries an alternative model. Such a model can base on the principles of climate justice, which make it possible to integrate environmental objectives with the tasks of socio-economic development, ensuring energy accessibility, and preserving economic sovereignty. Moreover, the proclamation of the right to energy as an inalienable human right can become the main tool for eliminating climate discrimination.