SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This chapter describes political economy analysis to raise some unanswered and unasked questions about how energy systems might be redesigned to simultaneously meet climate, development and adaptation goals. Energy systems refer not only to the technology and infrastructures of modern energy production and consumption gas turbines, solar lamps or transmission lines but to the social and political systems through which these technological artefacts emerge and are governed. The chapter provides two Kenyan policy initiatives that attempt to integrate climate change and development priorities in different ways. First is the government incentive for private sector power producers to generate electricity from renewable energy resources. Second is the effort to mainstream climate change concerns into government decision-making and planning, including in the energy sector. Kenya's Climate Change Action Plan is an expression of energy agendas – seeking to expand the space for 'triple win' policies for development, climate change mitigation and adaptation.