Research

With the rise of conservatism in many parts of the world, political polarization has become more divisive. Considering the urgency of climate change, cross-ideological cooperation on energy policy is needed, and clean energy conservatism may provide a strategic entry point to further promote support base for energy transition policies. Drawing on nationally representative survey data, the study finds that conservative respondents show significantly stronger support for nuclear energy and weaker support for renewables. Although both economic and environmental considerations influence energy preferences, the weight placed on these factors varies across the ideological spectrum. These findings echo trends observed in North America and Europe, where conservatives tend to prioritize economic and energy security concerns over environmental ones. However, the Korean context presents more nuanced patterns that resist simple ideological classification. In particular, the relationships between ideology, economic and environmental reasoning, and energy preferences are more complex than a straightforward opposition between conservative and progressive values. These results contribute to the growing literature on clean energy conservatism by showing how global patterns may manifest differently in non-Western settings.

Privacy has become a central issue in automated vehicles (AVs). Questions around who owns the data, who manages the data, and how to access data are some of the key concerns around AVs, mobility data justice. This study broadens the understanding of privacy challenges for AVs by introducing a multilevel contextual integrity (MCI) model. MCI considers contextual integrity (CI) in tandem with societal preferences and individual level preferences, which is captured using demographic data. Therefore, it captures the individual-level, group-level, and societal-level factors driving peoples’ preferences regarding AV privacy. Empirical insights into the relationships among the social forces captured at these three levels is drawn from survey data collected in South Korea. The findings reveal that although social goals and demographic variables initially show some association, the introduction of CI parameters significantly diminishes this relationship, highlighting the primacy of informational contexts in shaping AV privacy attitudes. This paper nuances current understandings of AV privacy by linking informational norms with overarching societal values and goals. By advancing the CI framework to include social goals, this study contributes to the broader discourse on responsible innovation, offering a robust approach to managing privacy challenges in emerging technologies.

With the exponential expansion of data centers, there is an increasing need for regulations on their impact on climate change and the environment. In this paper, a comparative systematic review of data center regulations across United States, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom was conducted. It analyzes the existing regulations on data centers’ environmental challenges and in doing so, it identifies the gaps in the current regulatory frameworks. This paper is largely divided into four sections: environmental, energy, water, and other (i.e., biodiversity, waste, and pollution). The analysis reveals that there are energy and water challenges related to data centers that need to be further regulated. Moreover, other environmental challenges are often missing from the existing regulations, which need to be rectified. Although there have been efforts to mitigate these challenges, there is a lack of a comprehensive set of policies that is employed coherently across different geographical regions. The study concludes with recommendations for future policy development based on existing policies.

Although renewable energy (RE) transitions offer pathways to sustainability, their implementation often exacerbates existing injustices, particularly for indigenous communities. Emerging research highlights issues such as land encroachment, biodiversity loss, and procedural exclusion, raising concerns about the social and environmental costs of these transitions. This paper examines indigenous peoples’ complex and evolving relationship with RE transitions through a systematic review of 87 peer-reviewed articles. It identifies three key thematic areas: (1) the impacts of RE transitions on indigenous communities, including environmental degradation, displacement, and social disruption; (2) indigenous contestations against harmful RE practices, where indigenous communities have mobilized politically and legally to resist exploitative projects; and (3) indigenous community energy as a new site of collective action, where indigenous peoples are asserting sovereignty, fostering energy independence, and shaping sustainable energy models on their own terms. The findings challenge the narrative of indigenous communities as passive recipients of RE transitions, revealing them instead as active agents of change who navigate the tension between environmental sustainability and social justice. RE projects often impose disproportionate costs on indigenous lands; however, indigenous-led initiatives demonstrate the potential for more equitable and inclusive energy futures. The study underscores the need to recognize indigenous rights, ensure meaningful participation in decision-making, and support indigenous-led innovations in energy governance. It concludes with a research agenda focused on addressing systemic inequities, strengthening indigenous agency, and advancing just and sustainable energy transitions.