Challenges and solutions: how civil society around the world are fighting for a just energy transition
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In February 2024, the International Accountability Project (IAP), the Early Warning System, and partner civil society organizations from all around the world published a report titled ENERGY FINANCE TRACKER: Monitoring energy finance trends to demand for a community-led and just energy transition. The report was based on the data collected through the Energy Finance Tracker (EFT), an interactive database designed to track investments in the energy sector and thereby strengthen advocacy strategies for a just energy transition. The EFT is for global civil society and communities to have access to reliable information about proposed and approved energy investments as well as the governments, companies, and investors involved. The EFT is an initiative of the Early Warning System (EWS) and has been updated quarterly since its release in January 2024.
To discuss the trends emerging from the EFT and to highlight diverse, community-led strategies for a just energy transition, IAP also hosted regional consultations with civil society partners. During these consultations, civil society partners and community representatives shared their experiences defending human and environmental rights and ensuring that energy transition centers on communities’ contexts and priorities. From these consultations, several separate campaigns arose, which are part of IAP’s actions for Climate Justice.
The following article shares the research and outcomes of these consultations, which will continue in different forms and fora throughout 2025, starting from the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that will take place in Milan, Italy at the beginning of May, where IAP will present the findings from the EFT, and partner organizations will report their experiences on the ground to collectively demand investments in a just and fair energy transition.
Africa: Adverse impacts of fossil fuels and renewable energy infrastructure
In March 2024, IAP and civil society organizations in Africa met to share their experiences working with communities affected by energy infrastructure and what they could do better to ensure no harm and benefits for all. During the event, co-organized with the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA), speakers presented the adverse impacts they witnessed in relation to the African Development Bank’s (AfDB) recent investments in fossil fuels and the issues that large-scale renewable energy infrastructure brought to local communities. Presentations from the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), based in Malawi, and the NGO Lumière Synergie pour le Développement (LSD), based in Senegal, highlighted the role of civil society in challenging malpractices by companies and investors in the energy sector, and suggesting solutions that are community-led and sustainable.
The meeting, attended by 60 participants, highlighted demands for a community-led and just energy transition. The EFT data for the Africa region was presented to provide context for the consultation. At the time of this first regional consultation, the EFT had tracked 214 projects in Africa with a total investment amount of US$ 24.65 billion. The majority of the projects were in Egypt (28), Kenya (17), and Nigeria (15). The World Bank (WB) had been the main financier (56% of the total), followed by the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the AfDB. Twenty-six (26) projects with a total investment amount of US$ 5.90 billion had been linked to the oil and gas sector, and 38 projects had been categorized as risk category A (the highest).
CHRR’s presentation followed the introduction to EFT data and trends and provided relevant insights on CHRR support of community response, in collaboration with IAP and Both Ends, against the abuses and human rights violations faced by local communities living near the Salima Solar Power Project financed by FMO (the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank), and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
Meanwhile, NGO Lumière Synergie pour le Développement (LSD) provided an overview of the energy sector in Senegal, highlighting the large gap between energy access in urban and rural areas (e.g., 98% in Dakar and 12% in Kédougou). The energy mix is still dominated by fossil fuels such as coal, while renewable energy, led by solar and hydropower, is increasing. The heavy reliance on fossil fuels has been facilitated by development banks’ investments in oil, gas, and coal infrastructure over the years. For instance, the Sendou Coal Power Project and the Malicounda 120 MW HFO IPP were financed by the AfDB and the DFC.
The presentations by CHRR and LSD showed that local communities and CSOs in Africa are still battling against the continued reliance on fossil fuels and, at the same time, facing the impacts of large-scale renewable energy projects. Instead of transitioning to a more just and sustainable system, development banks keep promoting extractivist models that adversely impact the rights holders and their environment.
At a time when the energy transition should reduce the environmental and social impacts of energy infrastructure, these seem to double in Africa: old power plants keep creating problems, and renewable energy does too. And as it appears, the AfDB and other banks have not learnt from past mistakes. To advance the conversation of just energy transition in Africa, IAP facilitated an in-person discussion with ten other CSOs from across Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, on 14 June 2024. The objective of the conversation was to discuss and share the opportunities and challenges for community-based and local organizations to the just energy transition discourse. Participants shared their approaches to responding to harmful energy projects, community-led approaches to filling the energy needs and gaps, women-centered approaches to just energy transition, and challenges of carbon credit trading and how its need for the enormous amount of land is displacing communities in Tanzania.
Southeast Asia: youth-led movements for a just energy transition, waste-to-energy as a false solution, and hidden investments in fossil fuels
The second event was organized in May, and 62 participants representing local, national, regional, and global organizations shared great insights on their work as advocates and activists for a just energy transition and how they have been opposing harmful energy projects. The Southeast Asia Energy Finance conversation was organized by IAP, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives-Asia-Pacific (GAIA-AP), the Coalition for Human Rights in Development (CHRD), and Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP). The meeting ended with a digital action where participants showed their calls and demands for climate justice, community-led energy transition, and against waste-to-energy (WtE) as a contribution to the Day of Action Against Incineration and ahead of the ADB’ Asia Clean Energy Forum.
As in the previous meeting, the meeting began with a review of the EFT’s Southeast Asia data, showing 93 projects totaling US$7.30 billion. Most projects were in Indonesia (22), Vietnam (18), and China (15). The top financiers were ADB (39%), WB (31%), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) (13%), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) (12%).
Confirmed by other speakers later, EFT research highlighted the legal and regulatory sector as the top investment target (US$2.5 billion), indicating significant development bank engagement with Southeast Asian legal frameworks in 2022–2023, especially in the oil and gas sector. The research also revealed substantial oil and gas funding via financial intermediaries (i.e., commercial banks such as Forte Investment Holdings, Co. Ltd. in Cambodia and Southeast Asia Bank CJSC in Vietnam), reducing transparency.
The first guest speaker was from Senik Centre Asia, a research-driven organization working on climate, clean energy transition, and equitable development. The discussion revolved around the more hidden ways that development banks use to fund oil and gas, exploiting policy loopholes. They noted that technical assistance projects often precede fossil fuel infrastructure investments or false solutions like waste-to-energy, carbon markets, and large-scale renewables. Andri Prasetyo, Senior Researcher at Senik Centre Asia, emphasized that a transformative energy transition requires a “clean and clear” principle, not just replacing one problem with another.
The second speaker, GAIA-Asia Pacific (GAIA-AP), addressed issues with waste-to-energy projects in Asia Pacific, debunking their clean energy claims due to greenhouse gas emissions and toxic ash. They argued that these plants produce little energy from mostly wet waste, harm waste pickers’ livelihoods, and are often built near marginalized communities without consultation. They shared that WtE infrastructure, especially in the Asian context, produces very little energy, given that most waste is wet or organic and does not burn well. It also “burns sources of livelihood from waste pickers and waste workers” and is often constructed near marginalized communities without proper consultation. They shared two examples of community-led responses to WtE projects in Southeast Asia: one in Surakarta, Indonesia, and the other in Davao, Philippines. The opposition to the latter led the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the main financier of the project, to back out. To conclude and leave some hope among participants, GAIA-AP shared a positive example of a community-led Zero Waste initiative called LimaDol, and operating in Davao itself.
The event ended with a presentation from Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines (YACAP), who advocated for decentralized energy systems, echoing calls for system change. They stressed that a just transition involves holding Global North countries accountable for historical damage and developing new energy systems with local communities’ ownership. They cautioned against large-scale renewable energy corporations’ resource-grabbing and the development banks’ support for it.
Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) synthesized the discussion, adding Indigenous Peoples’ perspectives on energy projects in Southeast Asia. They emphasized the EFT’s importance given issues with transition investments, noting that 70% of transition mineral projects are in Indigenous territories with unequal benefit distribution. They highlighted that Global North countries are repeating colonial and extractivist practices from the fossil fuel sector, and opposition often faces violence. AIPP concluded with a hopeful message: “Despite challenges, the struggle for just transition through equal partnerships must continue.”
South Caucasus and Central Asia: large projects, transition minerals, and faulty policies
In June IAP’s partners from the South Caucasus and Central Asia came together to share their experiences and recommendations regarding just energy transition in the region. The discussion, joined by 24 participants, focused on topics related to energy transition: the disproportionate impacts of large-scale renewables, renewables’ supply chains (especially transition minerals), and how the legal frameworks facilitate investments in potentially harmful infrastructure.
At the time of the meeting, the EFT had recorded 131 projects, for a total investment amount of US$ 8.10 billion, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the ADB, and the AIIB. The research found that the AIIB (China-led development bank) is an important financier in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, given that 37.5% of its total investments in the energy sector between January 2022 and March 2024 had been in this region. Interestingly, Uzbekistan is emerging as the region’s energy hub, hosting 61 projects and US$4.98 billion in investment, often in large-scale wind and solar projects by Middle Eastern, European, and Chinese companies (like ACWA Power, Voltalia, and China Power International Holding) that have received public funds and caused negative local and environmental impacts (for instance, see the concerns about solar and wind power plants around the country). The EFT also indicated development bank investments in oil and gas policy, capacity-building, and new fossil fuel power plants.
The discussion continued with the presentation from EcoLur Armenia, which tackled various problems with the government’s renewable energy strategy. The Armenian government has set ambitious targets, including doubling the share of renewable energy by 2030 and drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Key strategic programs aim to diversify energy production with a focus on solar energy, with major solar projects planned to support these goals. Large corporations did not lose time to spot the investment opportunities that would follow the government’s plans for energy production. Rather unsurprisingly, the most recent borrower of the EBRD’s first investment in the solar sector in Armenia is the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC (aka, Masdar). EcoLur NGO raised concerns with regard to the electric waste generated by large-scale solar power plants. There is no adequate infrastructure in Armenia to process the hazardous waste coming from solar panels, and the Government should address this gap at the earliest, in order to avoid troubles in the future.
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) presented their latest research into human and environmental rights violations linked to transition minerals value chains and large-scale hydropower infrastructure in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Their presentation called for greater transparency, accountability, and community involvement to mitigate these issues in both the hydropower and mining sectors. According to research conducted by the BHRRC over the last five years (2019–2023) in relation to transition minerals value chains, Russia recorded the highest number of allegations of abuse (112), followed by Armenia (51), Ukraine (47), Georgia (36) and Kazakhstan (35), and Georgia hosted the company (Georgian Manganese) and mines (Chiatura mines) with the highest number of allegations (31 and 22 respectively). A large number of these allegations were connected to abuses against workers (44%) and/or local communities (42%), and 139 allegations involved environmental harm that predominantly affected local communities.
The discussions among IAP’s partners stressed the critical need for a just energy transition in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, emphasizing the importance of addressing the negative impacts of large-scale renewable projects and transition mineral supply chains on local communities. Ensuring transparency, accountability, and community involvement in energy development is essential to mitigate human and environmental rights violations and promote sustainable growth in the region
Latin America and the Caribbean: carbon credits, hydrogen infrastructure, and narrative changes
The consultations in Latin America and the Caribbean region were held in July, with 21 participants from Latin America. The representatives of national or local CSOs who spoke at the event shared their advocacy initiatives to promote narrative changes in the energy sector and support communities affected by large-scale renewable energy infrastructure and industrial mining for transition minerals.
At the time of the event, the EFT had tracked 207 projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, or 17% of the total globally, with a total investment amount of about US$ 18.3 billion. Almost a third (31.4%) of the projects in the region had been assigned a high-risk category, either A or B. The most investments are in Brazil (37), Colombia (34), and Argentina (20).
While presenting the data from the EFT, attention was brought to the reliance on carbon credits, a nature-based financial mechanism that has been largely criticized as a “false solution”. In Latin America, large funds often domiciled outside of the region are receiving public funds to promote carbon credits, with the risk of empowering fossil fuel companies by granting them another mechanism to keep polluting and covering up the damages they create.
The Cohesión Comunitaria e Innovación Social (Community Cohesion and Social Innovation) presented their findings on the narrative changes that need to happen to ensure a just energy transition for all. Cohesión Comunitaria e Innovación Social shared an important reflection that development banks should stop looking at energy investments as a mere economic opportunity but recognize the actual impacts of energy infrastructure on local communities and the global climate instead. According to Cohesión Comunitaria e Innovación Social, the missing piece in the current narratives is people. Local communities are not consistently involved in the discussions on the energy transition, not only about specific projects but also in connection with broader strategies on the just and sustainable energy transition. Proper inclusivity in development bank-funded projects is still widely lacking, and the priorities of local communities are often disregarded.
Meanwhile, Sustentarse, based in Chile, reiterated similar points in their presentation, highlighting how the “green” hydrogen industry in Chile is creating similar impacts — which are all but “green” — on the environment and local communities to the ones of the fossil fuels industry. In some instances, local communities in the region of Antofagasta have suffered the adverse impacts of the fossil fuels industry and renewable energy infrastructure nowadays, both of which were consistently financed by development banks. They shed light on other actors’ roles, such as national and foreign political institutions and the business enterprises, often multinationals headquartered in Europe, such as Engie, RWE, Enel, and Siemens. Sustentarse shared how the colonial extractive practices of the Global North are being continued by the green hydrogen industry in Chile, which is exporting energy to Europe in the ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg.
As reported by Sustenarse, a large amount of the energy produced in Chile is exported to other countries, primarily in the Global North, where the ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg have already signed agreements with Chilean authorities to begin importing “green” hydrogen. This also explains why the European Investment Bank (EIB) has been an active lender to the Chilean energy industry in recent years. According to the EFT, the EIB was the major financier in the country between January 2022 and June 2024, with 35% of the total investments, followed by the IDB Invest with 26%.
Despite the numerous and insurmountable problems that accompany the energy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean, the event showed that the local and regional civil society groups are not willing to give up the fight for a just energy transition. Through their advocacy, they are working towards the realisation of a just energy transition where development banks and policymakers engage with local populations and prioritize their needs and rights in decision-making processes.
South Asia: Risks regarding the expansion of fossil gas, large hydro, and large solar, and opportunities to strengthen community-led renewable energy initiatives
The last consultation was organized with partners and groups in South Asia on December 18th, 2025, with 50 participants joining in from different countries in South Asia. The panelists discussed the continuation of fossil fuels in the region through investments and policy support and also the growing social and environmental risks of large-scale RE being promoted without proper regulations
At the time of the event, EFT had tracked 145 projects in South Asia, totaling an investment amount of 17.5 billion USD. Out of these, a majority of the investments were in India (77), followed by Bangladesh (27) and Pakistan (15). Among energy sectors, the highest number of projects and investments were in the solar, transmission lines, and hydropower sectors, and 33 percent of the investments were for legal or regulatory changes. While the trends in the data indicate a push towards RE, most of these projects are large-scale infrastructure projects, many of which have been linked to environmental and human rights violations in the region. The EFT data indicates that 45 percent of the projects in South Asia have high or medium risks. A stark reality that cannot be ignored is that more than half of the financing is via loans and only 4 percent is through grants, which increases the economic burdens of countries in South Asia, many of whom are undergoing a debt crisis.
The Indus Consortium revealed how development banks, particularly the WB, have entrenched fossil gas dependence in Pakistan since the 1950s through policy loans and technical assistance. Instead of promoting renewables, development banks pushed liquefied natural gas as a solution to the gas crisis and pushed them to a gas lock-in, blocking the path to a just transition to renewable energy. Today, liquefied natural gas makes up 20% of Pakistan’s energy mix — despite being eight times more expensive than domestic gas — deepening circular debt and creating stranded asset risks. The direct impact of these liquefied natural gas projects is born by local communities who face their environmental and social impacts. They shared testimonies of fishing communities impacted by the Port Qasim LNG Terminal in Karachi, funded by IFC and ADB, who have seen a reduction in the population of fish due to the dumping of toxic waste in the sea by the plant, which has severely impacted their livelihoods and food security.
EFT data shows that most energy finance in India has been directed toward solar, especially solar parks and floating solar projects. Echoing the data, the Centre for Financial Accountability mentioned that India aims for 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030, primarily through solar and wind, with significant support from development banks like the WB. The Centre for Financial Accountability shared how large-scale solar parks are being constructed on commons like pastoral grazing lands and agricultural lands that are owned and used by communities by falsely terming them as ‘barren’ or ‘wastelands. These solar parks have led to massive land grabbing and loss of livelihoods for local communities, and in the case of solar projects, they aren’t provided adequate land-based compensation, and jobs in solar parks are also provided to migrant laborers. The Centre for Financial Accountability shared that while India does have a potential for decentralised and rooftop solar, national schemes promoting rooftop solar are not accessible to marginalised communities, and thus, there is a need to promote community-led solar initiatives and democratic energy systems. They concluded that “merely moving from coal to solar doesn’t guarantee a just energy transition without reassessing how we produce and consume energy, strong safeguards, and communities being prioritized and centered in decision making”.
Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network highlighted the negative impacts of large hydropower projects in Nepal, which are seen as key to energy security and development but come with significant debt and environmental and social costs. While the ADB is a major financier, the WB, AIIB, and Indian corporations like the National Hydropower Corporation also play significant roles. These projects, mainly large-scale reservoir and cascade dams, displace indigenous communities from their land and often occur in seismic or ecologically fragile areas, increasing climate risks. Despite the lack of legal protection for land rights in Nepal, affected indigenous communities have used international mechanisms like UNDRIP and ILO 169 and filed complaints with independent accountability mechanisms of MDBs like the Magar community impacted by the Tananhu hydropower project (co-financed by ADB, EIB and JICA) who have been advocating for land for land rehabilitation and Majhi fishing communities who have been impacted by the WB funded Sunikoshi hydropower project. To increase energy access to remote indigenous communities, Community Empowerment and Social Justice Network has initiated community-based and community-led renewable energy projects such as micro-hydro plants, which are owned and managed by the communities for their use, which are not only providing electricity but also supporting women’s livelihoods through productive energy use.
The consultation underscored the urgent need for a just energy transition in South Asia that prioritizes community rights and sustainable practices over large-scale fossil fuel and renewable projects. By focusing on decentralized energy solutions and empowering local communities, stakeholders can address the social, environmental, and economic challenges associated with current energy investments and ensure a more equitable future.
United voices for a just, sustainable, and community-led energy transition
The challenges presented during these consultations showcase the complexities surrounding the energy transition. From continued reliance on fossil fuels to the adverse impacts of large-scale renewable projects, communities worldwide are grappling with the unintended consequences of investments in energy projects. The lack of transparency, inadequate consultation, and disregard for local development priorities and context have fueled a growing demand for a more equitable and sustainable approach.
Corporate-driven projects that aim to advance a just energy transition often lead to high adverse environmental and social impacts, which appear to be similar worldwide. Due to this similarity, civil society and local communities united to demand a community-led approach, whether they come from people affected by oil and gas infrastructure in Senegal, WTE plants in Southeast Asia, mining for transition minerals in Armenia and Argentina, or large-scale solar and hydropower projects in South Asia.
Yet amidst these challenges, a glimmer of hope emerges. The collective efforts of civil society organizations and communities worldwide demonstrate the unwavering spirit and power of unity in the fight for a just and community-led energy transition. The shared experiences and demands, transcending geographical boundaries, underline the urgent need for systemic change. Development banks, corporations, and governments must prioritize inclusive transition processes, community-led renewable energy infrastructure, gender empowerment in the energy sector, local ownership of resources, and narrative shifts that reflect these demands.
The road ahead may be long and arduous, but the voices raised in these events will not be silenced. Connecting and amplifying local voices is essential to frame united demands and ultimately generate a broader impact. As communities continue to mobilize and advocate for their rights, the demand for a truly just and sustainable energy transition grows stronger. The time for change is now, and the future of our planet depends on our collective action.
With the Energy Finance Tracker, the International Accountability Project, the Early Warning System, and our partners are tracking and analyzing global energy investments, including fossil fuel and renewable energy, as well as the public and private actors involved. We hope both the analysis and data inform and support your ongoing research and advocacy for Climate Justice and a Just Transition. Feel free to reach out with your questions or if you’re interested in collaborating on further analyses, outreach, or advocacy initiatives utilizing the report or the Energy Finance Tracker database, please contact us: iap@accountabilityproject.org.
Watch the recording of the regional consultations on IAP YouTube.
This article was written by Alessandro Ramazzotti (IAP’s Researcher) with the collective input and review by Ryan Schlief (IAP’s Executive Director), Carlo Manalansan (IAP’s Community Organizer), Elias Jika (IAP’s Program Coordinator for the African Region), Shoira (IAP’s Community Organizer), and Vaishnavi (IAP’s Program Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Region).
