Wind Turbines in Southern Mexico. Impacts on Indigenous Children and Options for a Just Transition
The southern Mexican Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the narrowest land mass between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and is considered one of the windiest regions in the world. Although the isthmus is the territory of indigenous peoples, 21 mega wind farms with a total of 2,000 wind turbines were built there in 2020, mainly by European energy companies. A large part of the local population resist the construction of further mega wind farms. Recent research on wind turbines in the region has mostly focused on their socio-ecological impact on the indigenous population and on the conflicts surrounding wind energy. This research, analyzes the specific impacts on indigenous children. As many of the energy transition projects are operated or controlled by European companies, it further investigates the relevance of supply chain laws and their role in contributing to a »Just Transition«.
Lena Dege-Barron’s professional career is characterised by global professional experience in social work (Ghana, India and Austria) and social research (Bolivia, Mexico). She already specialised in children’s rights during her Bachelor's degree in Social Work at FH Campus Wien. In her Master’s degree in International Development at the University of Vienna, she focused on the international children's rights situation and the legal pluralism of indigenous peoples in Latin America. She conducted research in Bolivia on national and international child labour regulations, where she was also made aware of European energy projects. Since then, she has been critically following the topic of the ‘green energy transition’ and, in her dissertation, for the first time establishes a link between renewable energy production and children's rights. She is conducting research in the windiest place in the world, the southern Mexican Isthmus of Tehuantepec. For this research project she was nominated for scholarships by the OeAD (Marietta Blau Scholarship) and the ÖAW (DOC Scholarship).
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»Arbeitende Kinder organisieren sich!«, in: SOLITAT Zeitschrift des Vereins zur Förderung internationaler Solidarität 85 / Herbst 2021, S.10.
Der südmexikanische Isthmus von Tehuantepec ist ein international bekannter Ort für Windenergieinvestitionen im Zuge des Europäischen Green Deal.