Promoting just energy transition in ecologically fragile areas of China through a rural household survey

Promoting a just energy transition of rural households in ecologically fragile areas is a critical step to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but there is a pressing need to clarify how policymakers can facilitate this transition process. Through a rural household survey of China, here we reveal the disparities in energy transition, energy poverty, and energy inequality among different household groups. While many rural households switch to clean energy for cooking and boiling, solid fuels are still used as the primary energy source, particularly for heating. Notably, small, low-income households and those from the Loess Plateau suffer disproportionate energy burden and energy poverty, energy inequality varies greatly by energy types, regions, ethnicity, and income levels. These findings highlight the importance of energy availability, affordability, sustainability, and acceptability for a just energy transition framework, which provides informative guidance for promoting just energy transition in ecologically fragile areas worldwide. Small, low-income households and those from the Loess Plateau suffer disproportionate energy burdens, and energy poverty and inequality vary by energy type, region, ethnicity, and income level, according to an analysis that uses household survey data.