Towards eco-social policies to tackle the socio-ecological crisis: energy poverty as an interface between welfare and environment

ABSTRACT The interplay between the environmental issues – embedded in the climate crisis – and the sustainability of welfare systems is a recent research topic that is unfolding the complexities behind the environmental and the fiscal crises. Drawing on an extensive literature, this paper fits in this debate with a theoretical focus on ‘eco-welfare’ and the relevant eco-social policies seen as viable solutions to tackle the twofold socio-ecological crisis. The article discusses how the two crises are addressed by mainstream policies, and then it sets out the eco-welfare framework. In so doing, the paper enhances the relevance of pre-distribution factors in recognizing the interdependencies between social and environmental sustainability. Subsequently, the paper identifies energy poverty as a meaningful research topic to be addressed through an eco-welfare framework, by posing a peculiar attention to the social determinants behind the notion of ‘fuel poor’. Overall, the paper discusses both the contents of the environmental welfare state at a time of socio-ecological crisis, and the multidimensional aspects of energy poverty.