Professor Raphael Heffron on Justice and the Future of International Energy Law at AUCEL
On the 20th of February 2026, the Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law (AUCEL) hosted Professor Raphael J. Heffron, Dean of the College of Law at Abu Dhabi University, for a seminar on contemporary developments in International Energy Law. The session was opened by AUCEL’s new co-directors, Drs Eddy Wifa and Lennan Mitchell, who set the seminar’s focus on justice, governance, and policy in energy law.
In his presentation titled “International Energy Law: Challenges in the Light of Chaos”, Professor Heffron explored the key drivers of IEL, which he identified as safety, energy security, economics, infrastructure, ownership, technology, and justice. He traced the development of the field from the early pursuit of safety regulations in coal mining to emerging challenges in clean energy, investment, and policy alignment. Situating this historical analysis within contemporary contexts, he analysed how IEL is increasingly being shaped by global, national, and local priorities, stressing why justice outcomes must remain central to the work of energy researchers.
This approach to justice should address its distributive, procedural, restorative, recognition, and cosmopolitan dimensions. In his words, “Technical changes are not what we are looking for in research today, but justice; increasing just outcomes globally.”
He encouraged data-driven, context-sensitive research underpinned by the JUST framework, which considers Justice, Universality, Space, and Time to ensure scholarly work addresses practical, economic, and societal impacts, especially given the growing relevance of IEL for global governance, policy, and justice outcomes.
As a panacea to the declining translation of research outputs into policy, Professor Heffron emphasised the importance of proactive public engagement, whereby researchers collaborate with policymakers and investors to influence a just energy transition. He concluded that researchers must take such proactive initiatives because “law is responsible for changing the rules of the game.”
Professor Heffron is a globally recognised authority in energy, climate, and just transition law, with over 200 publications and more than 13,000 citations. He has delivered over 220 keynotes in 70 countries, and his work has been translated into multiple languages, including Chinese, Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic and Persian. Leveraging cutting-edge research and collaborations with global experts, AUCEL continues to consolidate its position as a hub for interdisciplinary scholarship and thought leadership in energy and environmental law, driving practical solutions for societal advancement.