MIGRANTS IN THE POLITICS OF ENERGY DECARBONISATION

ongoing

Migrants In the Politics of Energy Decarbonisation (MIPED), a research project conducted by Rocío Hiraldo under the supervision of David Jordhus-Lier at the University of Oslo (UiO), will study the place of migrant workers in the politics of energy decarbonisation, a question underexplored in the literature yet highly relevant due to the growing recognition of the need of migrant labour in the attainment of European climate targets in the energy sector. Focusing on four case studies in Spain, MIPED will examine how the inclusion and exclusion of migrant workers’ labour concerns in mobilisations around energy decarbonisation is shaped by the socio-spatial interactions of migrant workers with labour, environmental and climate activists in this context. Through a combination of different fields of research, a qualitative and innovative methodology, a consideration of social inequalities intersecting this research question together with ethical and environmental issues, MIPED will address three research objectives: mapping how migrant workers’ experiences of (changes in) their labour conditions in the context of energy decarbonisation; studying how these experiences are taken into consideration by activist organisations mobilising around energy decarbonisation; exploring the social relations and socio-spatial interactions between these organisations and migrant workers. MIPED will reach academics, policy-makers, activists and society through the production of various research outputs including: 3 articles authored by the researcher, 1 to 3 articles co-authored by the researcher and academics at UiO, a policy brief, blog and newspaper articles, social media dissemination, an academic workshop, two project videos and a project blog page. The researcher’s background on MIPED topics and the two-way training process between the researcher and the host institution will ensure the successful attainment of project deliverables on due time.