Standard Presentation 2024 Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual Meeting combined with NZMSS

Foregrounding Equity in the Emerging Offshore Wind Industry in Australia  (#93)

Freya Croft 1 , Michelle Voyer 1
  1. Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security , University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia

Equity lies at the heart of energy transitions and in the development of offshore renewable energy infrastructure. From an intergenerational equity perspective, it is our current responsibility to ensure that decarbonisation occurs, and net zero targets are met globally. Yet there is also a responsibility to ensure that the development of new offshore renewable energy infrastructure is conducted in an equitable manner. Often industrial developments in the ocean have contributed to an inequitable share of burdens and benefits and have exacerbated wealth disparity and power asymmetries. New and emerging industries in Australia (such as offshore wind) open the opportunity for new ways of doing things that prioritise equity, yet they also pose a risk of maintaining business as usual. This talk outlines the Blue Economy Equity Model, which was developed as a means to reconceptualise the complex and contested ways that equity is currently framed. The Model, which draws on the overarching principles of Achieving Fairness, Preventing Harm, Respecting Rights and Supporting Flourishing, will be used as a way to unpack the current equity components associated with the governance of the developing offshore wind industry in Australia.