Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hsiao-Wen Wang, Adrienne Dodd, Yekang Ko
Summary: Transitioning to renewable energy is important for mitigating climate change. This study develops a Participatory Least Conflict Solar Energy Siting Framework based on energy justice theory. The framework uses stakeholder engagement, AHP, and GIS to identify and evaluate suitable solar development sites. Results show the priority given to protecting the natural environment and highlight the importance of participatory methods in site evaluation.
Article
Urban Studies
Jing Wu, Christian Zuidema, Gert de Roo
Summary: This article analyses the integration of energy goals within non-energy sectors at the local level in urban China and finds weak climate policy integration in local governments due to insufficient communication and interaction between policy sectors, limited professional capacity, and inefficient governance structures. The findings suggest the need for cross-sectoral and horizontal forms of communication and interaction to facilitate policy integration.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Marcus Lange, Valerie Cummins
Summary: There is a growing body of scholarship focusing on the enabling conditions for energy transitions globally, with a particular emphasis on addressing community concerns in hosting renewable energy infrastructure. The case study of the Corrib Gas field development in Ireland highlights stakeholder issues surrounding strategic infrastructure development. The study reveals a strong link between economic development and culture, with a lack of trust in those in power influencing conflicts and the importance of a neutral mediator in diffusing tensions.
RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS
(2021)
Editorial Material
Environmental Studies
Tamara Krawchenko, John Tomaney
Summary: How land is used is connected to important issues such as sustainable development, economic development, territorial inequalities, and the rights of future generations. Various policies and factors beyond land use and environmental planning systems shape land use and management, leading to adverse outcomes. This paper introduces a conceptual framework that promotes the governance of land use by considering incentives, disincentives, and complementarities across different policies and practices.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jozsef Kadar, Martina Pilloni, Tareq Abu Hamed
Summary: The social acceptance of energy policies and renewable energy technologies is essential in the current era of transition to renewable energy. A survey of 1500 Israeli citizens revealed lack of perceived threat from climate change, insufficient knowledge about renewable energies, low awareness of national energy and climate policy, and lack of trust in citizens' role in energy decision making. These findings are seen as barriers to public engagement in renewable energy development in Israel.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Kieren Rudge
Summary: Governments worldwide are aiming to transition to 100% renewable energy sources, with sub-national states like Connecticut setting targets for a zero-carbon electric sector by 2040. While government reports focus on utility-scale and rooftop solar, this study highlights the potential of solar canopies in fostering decentralized community solar. Using geospatial approaches, the study identifies over 8,400 sites in Connecticut capable of generating 9,042 GWh of electricity, which could contribute significantly to the state's energy portfolio and address energy justice considerations.
Article
Economics
Sanya Carley, Caroline Engle, David M. Konisky
Summary: The energy transition in the United States is creating winners and losers, prompting calls for energy justice. Existing energy justice programs in the US are diverse and widespread, led mainly by nonprofit organizations, with unique and innovative strategies to achieve their objectives. Further evaluation is needed to determine the efficacy of these efforts.
Article
Economics
Iain Soutar, Patrick Devine-Wright, Melanie Rohse, Chad Walker, Luke Gooding, Hannah Devine-Wright, Imogen Kay
Summary: Engagement with users, local communities, and wider publics is crucial for successful and fair energy transitions. This study focuses on the development of decentralised energy systems initiated by the central government, specifically Smart Local Energy Systems (SLES). The research findings reveal diverse methods and rationales of engagement employed by project partners, independent of project size. The study emphasizes the need for future SLES policies to prioritize engagement, facilitate social learning between projects, and expand public engagement beyond individual project boundaries.
Article
Economics
Franziska Ruef, Olivier Ejderyan
Summary: This article examines public views on the role of public authorities in the transformation of local energy systems, highlighting the importance of providing information, financial support, and regulation. It emphasizes the significance of communication in effectively rolling out, planning, or supporting energy transition projects.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Tamara Antonia Krawchenko, Megan Gordon
Summary: The concept of a 'just transition' is becoming increasingly important as governments commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. National and regional governments have adopted a wide range of policies, strategies, and initiatives to facilitate and help manage a just transition to minimize harmful impacts of industrial and economic transitions. This study identifies strategies, policies, and practices being implemented in various countries and regions to manage just transitions and highlights implementation gaps and leading practices.
Article
Development Studies
Hyewon Kim, Hyun Kim, Kyle Maurice Woosnam
Summary: This study evaluates the impact of perceived collaborative governance on policy support in the context of urban regeneration projects in the South Korean city of Mokpo. The findings indicate that satisfaction with economic aspects of urban regeneration policy and higher levels of perceived collaborative governance significantly influence policy support.
HABITAT INTERNATIONAL
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Hansjoerg Drewello
Summary: The article discusses the challenges of local energy transition and presents an analytical framework that highlights the importance of local context and national policy. This framework can help local communities and citizens engage in the energy transition process.
Article
Environmental Studies
L. L. B. Lazaro, R. S. Soares, C. Bermann, F. M. A. Collaco, L. L. Giatti, S. Abram
Summary: Energy transition requires systemic changes and considerations of spatial and policy dimensions. The analysis of Sao Paulo state's energy production and consumption history shows a trend of increasing fossil fuel consumption despite the growth of renewable energies. Additionally, energy governance in Brazil remains centralized, lacking involvement of local governments.
ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Economics
L. F. Schlindwein, C. Montalvo
Summary: According to the European Green Deal, energy transition requires the active participation of citizens, and the concept of energy citizenship has emerged to understand the role of citizens in this process. This study provides a comprehensive definition of energy citizenship and distinguishes between different types of energy citizens. The differentiation highlights the heterogeneity of human behaviors within energy transition, and policymakers should consider the behavioral dimensions of all types of energy citizens in fostering the transition.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haiyun Cheng, Mingniu Dong, Cheng Zhou
Summary: China aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, with energy transition playing a key role. However, energy transition comes with social risks and injustices, which can only be addressed through a just energy transition (JET) approach. This study categorizes policy dimensions and evaluates the satisfaction of vulnerable groups with JET policies in China.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ortwin Renn, Manfred Laubichler, Klaus Lucas, Wolfgang Kroger, Jochen Schanze, Roland W. Scholz, Pia-Johanna Schweizer
Summary: This article addresses the challenges of systemic risks and highlights the importance of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral perspectives in understanding and governing these risks. It emphasizes the need for integrating complexity modeling tools with empirical data and evidence-based insights to provide effective governance advice. The article also suggests assessing systemic risks through multiple indicators and diverse scenarios. Lastly, it emphasizes the necessity of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation, close monitoring, and engagement of scientists, regulators, and stakeholders in the governance of systemic risks.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Ortwin Renn, Klaus Lucas
Summary: Insights from complexity science can be applied to analyze social processes, including the structure of social risks. The contribution of self-organization, often underestimated in social science theories, plays a crucial role in the crises facing modern democracy.
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Andreas Klinke, Ortwin Renn, Robert Goble
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ortwin Renn, Grischa Beier, Pia-Johanna Schweizer
Summary: Digitalization can drive sustainable transformation in society and industry, but it also comes with risks. To ensure its sustainable success, a systemic risk-benefit perspective is needed, along with a co-design process for developing a governance structure.
GAIA-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
John C. Besley, Pia-Johanna Schweizer
Summary: A survey of a scientific society's members reveals substantial support for the pursuit of a communication goal to ensure policymakers consider scientific evidence. Support for this goal is driven by ethical beliefs, personal satisfaction, and the belief in the society's positive impact on society. Normative beliefs and organizational efficacy do not significantly predict goal support.
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pia-Johanna Schweizer, Robert Goble, Ortwin Renn
Summary: The article distinguishes between conventional risks and systemic risks, highlighting the characteristics and challenges posed by systemic risks. It introduces the application and extension of the social amplification of risk framework, identifies practical tools for assessing the significance of perceptions for systemic risks, and discusses governance strategies for systemic risks.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Simron J. Singh, Tailin Huang, Nidhi Nagabhatla, Pia-Johanna Schweizer, Matthew Eckelman, Jasper Verschuur, Reshma Soman
Summary: This paper discusses the vulnerability of small islands from the perspective of socio-metabolic risk (SMR), highlighting the impact of material stocks and flows on SMR and proposing effective leverage points and adaptation strategies for building system resilience on small islands.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Helga Weisz, Christoph Kueffer, Ortwin Renn, Bernhard Schmid, Patrick Wager
GAIA-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Pia-Johanna Schweizer, Ortwin Renn
Editorial Material
Environmental Sciences
Rainer Quitzow, Ortwin Renn, Yana Zabanova
Summary: Economic disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine provide insights into how climate change may threaten global supply chains in the future. The EU is addressing strategic vulnerabilities in fossil fuel supply while maintaining its climate ambition. However, more far-reaching changes are urgently needed to address the root causes of the current crisis.
GAIA-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ortwin Renn, Anita Engels, Birgit Mack, Sophia Becker, Christina Camier
Summary: During the COVID-19 crisis, people made behavioral adaptations to temporarily reduce their individual carbon footprints. This paper summarizes existing knowledge on behavior change from psychology and sociology, and provides an overview of preliminary findings from empirical studies conducted so far. The focus is on changes in mobility and work routines in Germany, which may also provide insights for other countries.
GAIA-ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR SCIENCE AND SOCIETY
(2022)