Energy Politics and Climate Change (Closed)

A topical collection in Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

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Editor


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Guest Editor
Renewable & Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Interests: the effects of organizational characteristics, international trade, non-governmental organizations, inequality, politics, entrepreneurial activity, and national climate and energy regulations on electricity-based CO2 emissions

Topical Collection Information

Dear Colleagues,

Global energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are projected to increase by one-third by 2040. In the face of this escalating threat, scholars have debated whether democratic or authoritarian regimes are best suited for tackling the energy sector’s carbon pollution. Proponents of democracies claim they are better equipped to mitigate climate change because they are responsive to citizens’ preferences, facilitate free flows of information on problems and solutions, have multiple points of access in policy making, and possess superior scientific and technical capacity. In contrast, their authoritarian counterparts contend that top-down, centralized governance is needed because voters are too shortsighted, often lack scientific literacy, are focused on enjoying and expanding their affluence, and unwilling to suspend their individual rights to take drastic actions. 

Because this debate has focused on the question of which regimes are most likely to adopt climate policies, however, it often stops short of examining those policies’ performance. Consequently, our knowledge of which types of climate policies work best in which types of political systems remains limited, nor do we know which institutional arrangements enable officials to put policies effectively into practice within and across different regimes. 

This Special Issue on energy politics and climate change will provide an overview of recent research on the efficacy of democratic and authoritarian systems’ mitigation strategies.

Prof. Dr. Don Grant
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • energy
  • climate change
  • politics
  • democracy
  • authoritarian

Published Papers (1 paper)

2023

14 pages, 1610 KiB  
Article
The Energy Mix: Understanding People’s Diverging Energy Preferences in Belgium
by Hanne Dallenes, Robbe Geerts, Frédéric Vandermoere and Gerlinde Verbist
Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(5), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12050260 - 25 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2319
Abstract
To mitigate global climate change, drastic transformations of the energy system are needed. Whereas the public is asked to adapt its energy demand patterns, their perspective is often neglected. In this study, we incorporated a more human-centered dimension into energy research by examining [...] Read more.
To mitigate global climate change, drastic transformations of the energy system are needed. Whereas the public is asked to adapt its energy demand patterns, their perspective is often neglected. In this study, we incorporated a more human-centered dimension into energy research by examining how social characteristics determine the composition of individuals’ preferred energy mix. Previous studies have been mainly limited to the exploration of preferences for one energy system in isolation. Hence, little is known about how various energy sources are combined into various energy mixes. Furthermore, empirical research regarding the heterogeneity of energy preferences often lacks an intersectional approach. Against this background, we used Belgian data from the European Social Survey (N = 1766) to examine the diversity of preferred energy mixes among individuals and how this relates to social characteristics. Specifically, a segmentation analysis was conducted to cluster Belgian respondents into intersectional, meaningful groups related to their preferred energy mixes. The results of the segmentation analysis underpin the existence of vulnerable and privileged groups in the establishment of a green transition. This study highlights the importance of focusing on energy mixes from an intersectional stance, as it provides an excellent tool to uncover the power dynamics underlying an energy transition. Full article
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