Climate misery, energy poverty, and structural vulnerability in Arctic Canada: Evidence from a multidimensional household survey

Energy vulnerability in Arctic Canada extends beyond affordability, reflecting the interaction of climatic exposure, energy-system configuration, housing conditions, and institutional capacity. Using household survey evidence from 2480 respondents across 38 Arctic communities during 2024–2025, this study develops a Multidimensional Energy Injustice Index (MEII) within the Alkire–Foster framework and examines its correlates using fractional-response, multilevel, conventional quantile, and smoothed quantile GMM methods. Higher income and better housing quality are associated with lower vulnerability, while climatic severity and diesel reliance exhibit significant, distributionally heterogeneous relationships with deprivation. Institutional capacity is generally associated with lower vulnerability, and greater multidimensional deprivation and energy burden are consistently associated with lower subjective wellbeing. The findings demonstrate that Arctic energy vulnerability cannot be reduced to household purchasing power alone. Effective policy requires an integrated approach connecting affordability protection, climate-resilient housing, energy-system reliability, institutional capability, and locally appropriate transition strategies to advance equitable and resilient northern communities.