Solar Transitions And Legal Exegesis: A Doctrinal Study Of SAARC’s Climate Justice Framework In South Asia’s Energy Governance
- IJLLR Journal
- Mar 23
- 2 min read
Md. Irfanul Islam, School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law
ABSTRACT
This study explores the complex interplay of solar energy transitions, climate justice, and energy governance in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) framework. South Asia is severely vulnerable to rising climate shocks with catastrophic socio-economic consequences, and SAARC’s role in climate and energy policy becomes increasingly significant. This is a key topic in light of the region’s climate vulnerability and the transformative power of solar energy to meet energy demand while ensuring human rights and access to equity. A wide gap exists between SAARC’s lofty assertions on climate change and energy cooperation and the working reality, which is thwarted by political tensions and implementation lacunae. This leads to fragmented national action and reactive reliance on judicial activism. This research attempts to doctrinally evaluate SAARC’s climate justice approach in solar transitions, categorizing it as having confines and gaps in implementation and integration. A doctrinal study approach examines SAARC’s policy and legal documents, national frameworks, and whether they conform to climate justice values and solar deployment realities. This paper’s primary message is that solar energy has tremendous opportunity, but that a very fast deployment tends to overwhelm policies and infrastructure development in an overarching sense. Key findings in this paper represent chronic policy deficiencies in the adoption of ‘just transition’ principles, above all, social equity, labour justice, and consent of the people, due to insufficient human rights policies and people’s consultation. SAARC structures, though they acknowledge climate justice, lack legally obligatory implementation. This research makes a contribution by the recognition of the critical imperative of a justice-led regional response, a blend of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ infrastructure, to just and sustainable energy futures in South Asia, and as a model for other vulnerable regions.
Keywords: Solar Transitions, Climate Justice, SAARC, Energy Governance, Regional Cooperation, Just Transition, Policy Frameworks
