RESEARCH ASSISTANCE ON ENERGY JUSTICE with Lakshman Guruswamy
The energy oppressed poor (EOP), numbering 2.5 billion, rely on fire as their sole source of energy for cooking, illumination and heating. The EOP burn animal dung, waste, crop residues, rotted wood, other forms of “bad” biomass, and raw coal for their energy needs. Cooking on an open fire or traditional stove using biomass causes inefficient combustion, releasing dangerous quantities of carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and other pollutants. These indoor pollutants result in the premature death of over 1.5 million children and women from pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, lung cancer and asthma, and also causes chronic respiratory ailments and debilitating sickness for many more millions. The black soot caused by burning bio mass has also been implicated as the second most significant contributor to global warming.
Research assistance is required in four areas:
1. ENERGY JUSTICE building primarily on the foundations laid by John Rawls
2. THE NEED FOR INTERMEDIATE OR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
3. INTERNATIONAL AND US LAWS DEALING WITH ENERGY JUSTICE, Possibilities of amending the rules applicable to the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) so as to include cook stoves and black soot.
4. THE ROLE OF LAW SCHOOLS IN ADVANCING ENERGY JUSTICE, based primarily on the work of Jeremy Bentham.
To apply for this position or have questions, please contact Lakshman Guruswamy at lguruswamy@law.berkeley.edu.
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