Pub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104581
Adam C. Simon , Lawrence M. Cathles , Dan Wood , Morgan Bazilian
Copper is essential for modern economies including: energy systems, data centers, defense applications, space cooling and heating, heavy industry, smart agriculture, transportation, and consumer goods. The presumption persists that the copper needed for all these purposes will be readily available. However, we show that copper is unlikely to be mined fast enough to meet all these needs in the short to medium term. Despite the recent and rapid copper price rise, we suggest that it will have to continue to rise significantly and provide robust price signals for a significant number of known copper deposits to be developed into mines. This price signal will need to be associated with permitting reforms to be successful in several cases. The widening gap should be a matter of political prioritization both in the USA and globally.
{"title":"The widening gap between copper supply and demand will have an impact on economic development and energy futures","authors":"Adam C. Simon , Lawrence M. Cathles , Dan Wood , Morgan Bazilian","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copper is essential for modern economies including: energy systems, data centers, defense applications, space cooling and heating, heavy industry, smart agriculture, transportation, and consumer goods. The presumption persists that the copper needed for all these purposes will be readily available. However, we show that copper is unlikely to be mined fast enough to meet all these needs in the short to medium term. Despite the recent and rapid copper price rise, we suggest that it will have to continue to rise significantly and provide robust price signals for a significant number of known copper deposits to be developed into mines. This price signal will need to be associated with permitting reforms to be successful in several cases. The widening gap should be a matter of political prioritization both in the USA and globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"133 ","pages":"Article 104581"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146098757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104551
D. Nilsson , L. Romanach , E. Frederiks , Chi-Hsiang Wang , J. Gardner
There is an urgent need for scalable interventions that can shift societal norms and human behaviour to address the global sustainability crisis. With its extensive reach and cultural influence, mass media is a critical yet underutilised tool in this effort. This paper presents a novel, real-world study to explore the effectiveness of promoting residential energy efficiency through a reality-style television show. Behavioural science principles were embedded throughout the 8-part television series, with a longitudinal mixed-method design used to evaluate the potential impact on viewers over time. Statistical analysis of the results suggested that watching the show was positively associated with an increase in viewers' self-reported desire for homes with an energy star rating above the minimum standard, with this effect strengthening based on the amount of content viewed. Qualitative insights from semi-structured focus group discussions also supported this potential positive influence of the TV series. Overall, this study demonstrates a practical, real-world example of how combining behavioural science with entertainment and mass media can support behaviour change, while also providing a framework to inform the design of future interventions to promote sustainable behaviours at scale.
{"title":"Lights, camera, behaviour change: Mass media as a tool for mainstreaming sustainability","authors":"D. Nilsson , L. Romanach , E. Frederiks , Chi-Hsiang Wang , J. Gardner","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104551","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104551","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is an urgent need for scalable interventions that can shift societal norms and human behaviour to address the global sustainability crisis. With its extensive reach and cultural influence, mass media is a critical yet underutilised tool in this effort. This paper presents a novel, real-world study to explore the effectiveness of promoting residential energy efficiency through a reality-style television show. Behavioural science principles were embedded throughout the 8-part television series, with a longitudinal mixed-method design used to evaluate the potential impact on viewers over time. Statistical analysis of the results suggested that watching the show was positively associated with an increase in viewers' self-reported desire for homes with an energy star rating above the minimum standard, with this effect strengthening based on the amount of content viewed. Qualitative insights from semi-structured focus group discussions also supported this potential positive influence of the TV series. Overall, this study demonstrates a practical, real-world example of how combining behavioural science with entertainment and mass media can support behaviour change, while also providing a framework to inform the design of future interventions to promote sustainable behaviours at scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104551"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104544
Sukanya Khar , Kaveri Iychettira
Large-scale solar park development has accelerated in India over the last decade, with multiple 500 MW+ parks being built as part of the country's effort to decarbonise its electricity system. These projects require thousands of acres of contiguous land. However, land is a socially embedded resource with no ‘empty’ land available that does not already serve some purpose. Drawing on field research and qualitative interviews across three sites—Bhadla and Fatehgarh in Rajasthan, and Pavagada in Karnataka—we analyse the distributional injustices that accompany large-scale solar park development. We compare two land tenure arrangements: private agricultural land and government-owned land that local communities use for farming and grazing. Using the social-ecological systems framework, we conceptualise these tenure arrangements in terms of inequalities in land ownership, the importance of the resource to different socio-economic groups, and the property regimes under which solar parks are developed. We find, first, that ownership of private agricultural land in Karnataka enables farmers to claim monetary compensation. This is in contrast with solar parks in Rajasthan, where the absence of land-use records and formal titles prevents some farmers and agropastoral groups from accessing any monetary benefits. Second, agropastoral groups and landless households—often from marginalised caste groups—are disadvantaged across all cases, as they lose access to common property resources for livestock rearing as well as to private farmland for wage labour. These findings highlight how diverse land tenure systems shape, and often deepen, unequal distributional outcomes from India's solar transition.
{"title":"No empty land: Comparing distributional outcomes of solar parks across land tenure regimes in India","authors":"Sukanya Khar , Kaveri Iychettira","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Large-scale solar park development has accelerated in India over the last decade, with multiple 500 MW<strong>+</strong> parks being built as part of the country's effort to decarbonise its electricity system. These projects require thousands of acres of contiguous land. However, land is a socially embedded resource with no ‘empty’ land available that does not already serve some purpose. Drawing on field research and qualitative interviews across three sites—Bhadla and Fatehgarh in Rajasthan, and Pavagada in Karnataka—we analyse the distributional injustices that accompany large-scale solar park development. We compare two land tenure arrangements: private agricultural land and government-owned land that local communities use for farming and grazing. Using the social-ecological systems framework, we conceptualise these tenure arrangements in terms of inequalities in land ownership, the importance of the resource to different socio-economic groups, and the property regimes under which solar parks are developed. We find, first, that ownership of private agricultural land in Karnataka enables farmers to claim monetary compensation. This is in contrast with solar parks in Rajasthan, where the absence of land-use records and formal titles prevents some farmers and agropastoral groups from accessing any monetary benefits. Second, agropastoral groups and landless households—often from marginalised caste groups—are disadvantaged across all cases, as they lose access to common property resources for livestock rearing as well as to private farmland for wage labour. These findings highlight how diverse land tenure systems shape, and often deepen, unequal distributional outcomes from India's solar transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104544"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104555
Sara Lopez
This study examines patterns of adoption and outcomes associated with Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs) in the San Francisco Bay Area and focuses on how customer participation and electricity rates are correlated to race and income. CCAs are often promoted as tools for advancing clean energy access, yet limited research has examined whether participation and rate outcomes vary across socioeconomic contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines bivariate correlation and regression analysis with qualitative insights from interviews with six industry professionals representing CCAs, the local investor-owned utility (PG&E), and a regional trade association (CalCCA). The results suggest that CCAs generally provided higher renewable energy content at lower electricity rates than the investor-owned utility, particularly at the baseline 50% renewable energy tier. At the 100% renewable energy tier, total electricity rates were typically modestly higher. Customer participation rates were positively associated with both racial diversity and median household income, although interview participants emphasized that variation in customer awareness, trust, and understanding of CCAs also shapes decisions to opt-out from CCA enrollment. Overall, the findings show no evidence to suggest that automatic CCA enrollment at the 50% renewable energy tier systematically disadvantaged historically marginalized groups based on race or income. Instead, the results suggest broadly equitable access to more renewable electricity across the region and highlight the importance of public education, community engagement, and institutional trust in sustaining participation and supporting an inclusive clean energy transition.
{"title":"Community power in practice: Socioeconomic factors associated with adoption and outcomes of Community Choice Aggregations in California's San Francisco Bay Area","authors":"Sara Lopez","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104555","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104555","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines patterns of adoption and outcomes associated with Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs) in the San Francisco Bay Area and focuses on how customer participation and electricity rates are correlated to race and income. CCAs are often promoted as tools for advancing clean energy access, yet limited research has examined whether participation and rate outcomes vary across socioeconomic contexts. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study combines bivariate correlation and regression analysis with qualitative insights from interviews with six industry professionals representing CCAs, the local investor-owned utility (PG&E), and a regional trade association (CalCCA). The results suggest that CCAs generally provided higher renewable energy content at lower electricity rates than the investor-owned utility, particularly at the baseline 50% renewable energy tier. At the 100% renewable energy tier, total electricity rates were typically modestly higher. Customer participation rates were positively associated with both racial diversity and median household income, although interview participants emphasized that variation in customer awareness, trust, and understanding of CCAs also shapes decisions to opt-out from CCA enrollment. Overall, the findings show no evidence to suggest that automatic CCA enrollment at the 50% renewable energy tier systematically disadvantaged historically marginalized groups based on race or income. Instead, the results suggest broadly equitable access to more renewable electricity across the region and highlight the importance of public education, community engagement, and institutional trust in sustaining participation and supporting an inclusive clean energy transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104555"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104568
Jeroen van den Bergh , Jan Paul van Soest
In November 2024, a ruling by a Dutch Court of Appeal overturned a 2021 District Court verdict concerning the obligations of the oil and gas company Shell to reduce its carbon emissions. This perspective article examines the scientific basis of the differing arguments in the two court rulings, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of emissions-reduction strategies. To this end, we first summarize the reasoning in both rulings and identify their key points of divergence. Subsequently, we assess which ruling aligns more closely with the scientific literature on climate policy. Our analysis zooms in on four issues: the public-good nature of climate mitigation and the problem of free-riding; the aim and impact of the European Union's Emissions Trading System; the treatment of Scope 3 emissions generated by end users of Shell's products; and the roles of companies versus the state in achieving emissions reductions. We conclude that the Court of Appeal's ruling is more consistent with current scientific insights about effective climate policy than the earlier District Court decision. This is not to deny that companies like Shell will have to fundamentally transform – or otherwise eventually disappear – on the path to a zero‑carbon economy. But such change is most likely to occur as the outcome of a systemic policy approach that delivers steady and substantial emissions reductions across all sectors and jurisdictions. We therefore argue that a more effective legal strategy is to pursue legal action against governments that fail to implement policies in line with internationally agreed climate targets.
{"title":"Comparing two court rulings on Shell's carbon emissions with climate-policy science","authors":"Jeroen van den Bergh , Jan Paul van Soest","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In November 2024, a ruling by a Dutch Court of Appeal overturned a 2021 District Court verdict concerning the obligations of the oil and gas company Shell to reduce its carbon emissions. This perspective article examines the scientific basis of the differing arguments in the two court rulings, with a particular focus on the effectiveness of emissions-reduction strategies. To this end, we first summarize the reasoning in both rulings and identify their key points of divergence. Subsequently, we assess which ruling aligns more closely with the scientific literature on climate policy. Our analysis zooms in on four issues: the public-good nature of climate mitigation and the problem of free-riding; the aim and impact of the European Union's Emissions Trading System; the treatment of Scope 3 emissions generated by end users of Shell's products; and the roles of companies versus the state in achieving emissions reductions. We conclude that the Court of Appeal's ruling is more consistent with current scientific insights about effective climate policy than the earlier District Court decision. This is not to deny that companies like Shell will have to fundamentally transform – or otherwise eventually disappear – on the path to a zero‑carbon economy. But such change is most likely to occur as the outcome of a systemic policy approach that delivers steady and substantial emissions reductions across all sectors and jurisdictions. We therefore argue that a more effective legal strategy is to pursue legal action against governments that fail to implement policies in line with internationally agreed climate targets.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104568"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078839","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104548
Igor Makarov , Elizaveta Smolovik
The global low-carbon energy transition affects different country groups unevenly, creating significant opportunities for some and exposing others to risks. To capture this asymmetry, we develop an index of readiness to energy transition (RET index) that ranks 133 countries according to their potential gains and losses. The index includes two dimensions: transition assets, which are exposed positively, i.e., clean energy potential, abundance in critical metals and minerals, and negatively, namely dependence on fossil fuels and fossil fuel intensive industries, carbon intensity of economies, as well as adaptation potential. The resulting ranking of countries provides useful insights into countries' standing in low-carbon energy transition. Most of developed countries gain from high adaptation potential and limited carbon-intensive transition assets, making them resilient to low-carbon transformation. China occupies a unique position, benefiting from strong clean energy potential and dominance in the global critical materials landscape. On the contrary, many emerging and developing economies face high transition risks due to fossil fuel dependency, high overall carbon intensity and relatively weak technological and institutional capacities. The RET index thus highlights these asymmetries, emphasizing the importance of targeted international support and differentiating mitigation ambition levels under just energy transition framework.
{"title":"Winners and losers from the world going green: Index of country-level readiness to energy transition","authors":"Igor Makarov , Elizaveta Smolovik","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104548","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104548","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global low-carbon energy transition affects different country groups unevenly, creating significant opportunities for some and exposing others to risks. To capture this asymmetry, we develop an index of readiness to energy transition (RET index) that ranks 133 countries according to their potential gains and losses. The index includes two dimensions: transition assets, which are exposed positively, i.e., clean energy potential, abundance in critical metals and minerals, and negatively, namely dependence on fossil fuels and fossil fuel intensive industries, carbon intensity of economies, as well as adaptation potential. The resulting ranking of countries provides useful insights into countries' standing in low-carbon energy transition. Most of developed countries gain from high adaptation potential and limited carbon-intensive transition assets, making them resilient to low-carbon transformation. China occupies a unique position, benefiting from strong clean energy potential and dominance in the global critical materials landscape. On the contrary, many emerging and developing economies face high transition risks due to fossil fuel dependency, high overall carbon intensity and relatively weak technological and institutional capacities. The RET index thus highlights these asymmetries, emphasizing the importance of targeted international support and differentiating mitigation ambition levels under just energy transition framework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104548"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104558
Mareike Tippe
The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is a well-established tool to assess the environmental impacts of products, services, and technologies. Despite of its standardization, the methodology lacks guidance and formalization for the consideration of behavioral effects impacting the energy consumption related to the usage of technologies. As digital and smart technologies are supposed to play a major role in the energy transition, a consideration of these effects is crucial for the comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts caused by these technologies. In order to address the lack of formalized approaches for the integration of behavioral effects into LCA studies, a qualitative interview study with experts from the social sciences and LCA practice was set up, identifying challenges and chances for the interdisciplinary alignment of the LCA methodology with social scientific approaches. On the basis of the content analysis, the study highlights barriers for the transfer of knowledge between the disciplines and offers insights on challenges faced by practitioners (e.g. lack of time and financing resources or skepticism experienced by peers). Social scientific perspectives and recommendations expressed by the researchers were aligned with the standardized steps of an LCA, providing insights on possible contributions of the social scientific methods to a more comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts caused by energy-using technologies. The interdisciplinary study thereby connects methodological and empirical insights from research practice, enabling the understanding of socio-technical and socio-environmental dependencies in order to assess environmental impacts of energy using technologies in a comprehensive way.
{"title":"From context to operationalization: Exploring chances for the integration of social scientific perspectives in life cycle assessments of energy technologies","authors":"Mareike Tippe","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104558","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is a well-established tool to assess the environmental impacts of products, services, and technologies. Despite of its standardization, the methodology lacks guidance and formalization for the consideration of behavioral effects impacting the energy consumption related to the usage of technologies. As digital and smart technologies are supposed to play a major role in the energy transition, a consideration of these effects is crucial for the comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts caused by these technologies. In order to address the lack of formalized approaches for the integration of behavioral effects into LCA studies, a qualitative interview study with experts from the social sciences and LCA practice was set up, identifying challenges and chances for the interdisciplinary alignment of the LCA methodology with social scientific approaches. On the basis of the content analysis, the study highlights barriers for the transfer of knowledge between the disciplines and offers insights on challenges faced by practitioners (e.g. lack of time and financing resources or skepticism experienced by peers). Social scientific perspectives and recommendations expressed by the researchers were aligned with the standardized steps of an LCA, providing insights on possible contributions of the social scientific methods to a more comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts caused by energy-using technologies. The interdisciplinary study thereby connects methodological and empirical insights from research practice, enabling the understanding of socio-technical and socio-environmental dependencies in order to assess environmental impacts of energy using technologies in a comprehensive way.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104558"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104561
Zhuohan Xie, Dan van der Horst, Matthew Lane
Understanding how multiple socio-technical systems transform in tandem has become an important frontier in sustainability transitions research. While the multi-level perspective has evolved into the multi-system perspective to conceptualise cross-system co-evolution, current studies largely overlook the relational micro-dynamics through which coordination and learning are enacted. To address this gap, this paper integrates experimental governance with the multi-system perspective to investigate how local experimentation can drive both single-system transitions and multi-system alignment. Drawing on policy analysis and 22 semi-structured interviews, we examine the Zhangjiakou wind-to-heat pilot in northern China, where wind power, district heating, electricity trading and emerging digital sectors became increasingly interconnected. Our analysis identifies a five-phase transition trajectory: dual-system coupling, incumbent system transition, emerging system reform, multi-system interaction, and diffusion effects. Our results show that experiments can become coordination infrastructures that temporarily bridge fragmented governance structures, enabling heterogeneous actors to build trust, co-produce knowledge, and adapt strategies through negotiation and iterative learning. These micro-level processes actively construct cross-system linkages, allowing local experiments to evolve into institutional arrangements that support regional low-carbon industrial diversification and economic upgrading. This study contributes to transition theory by grounding the micro-foundations of multi-system transitions and showing how experimentation can help overcome fragmented governance structures by enabling state-orchestrated coordination.
{"title":"From wind curtailment to decarbonising urban heat: Experimental governance and multi-system innovation in Zhangjiakou","authors":"Zhuohan Xie, Dan van der Horst, Matthew Lane","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding how multiple socio-technical systems transform in tandem has become an important frontier in sustainability transitions research. While the multi-level perspective has evolved into the multi-system perspective to conceptualise cross-system co-evolution, current studies largely overlook the relational micro-dynamics through which coordination and learning are enacted. To address this gap, this paper integrates experimental governance with the multi-system perspective to investigate how local experimentation can drive both single-system transitions and multi-system alignment. Drawing on policy analysis and 22 semi-structured interviews, we examine the Zhangjiakou wind-to-heat pilot in northern China, where wind power, district heating, electricity trading and emerging digital sectors became increasingly interconnected. Our analysis identifies a five-phase transition trajectory: dual-system coupling, incumbent system transition, emerging system reform, multi-system interaction, and diffusion effects. Our results show that experiments can become coordination infrastructures that temporarily bridge fragmented governance structures, enabling heterogeneous actors to build trust, co-produce knowledge, and adapt strategies through negotiation and iterative learning. These micro-level processes actively construct cross-system linkages, allowing local experiments to evolve into institutional arrangements that support regional low-carbon industrial diversification and economic upgrading. This study contributes to transition theory by grounding the micro-foundations of multi-system transitions and showing how experimentation can help overcome fragmented governance structures by enabling state-orchestrated coordination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104561"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146079435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104553
Camille Belmin , Charlotte Sophia Bez , Zakia Soomauroo
What does it mean to produce climate science in 2026? Building on the dialogical approach of Fenner and Harcourt [1], this paper explores how positionalities and emotional landscapes shape the work of three female researchers in climate science. Through a collective, reflexive dialogue, we confront the personal and structural tensions embedded in global climate science, examining power asymmetries, the tokenization of diversity, and the hegemonic dominance of quantification and masculinized norms. Our reflections draw attention to how scientific practices often, even unintentionally, perpetuate the very injustices they aim to address. These inherent exclusionary practices lead us to the idea of academia as a border. By weaving together anecdotal recollections and critical theory, we illuminate how situatedness matters, not just methodologically but politically. We critique the neoliberal and heteronormative underpinnings of academic institutions and propose a future-oriented agenda grounded in relationality, emotional honesty, and epistemic inclusivity. Our concluding recommendations aim to shift academic practice from extractive performance metrics to spaces of resistance, care, and collective transformation. As part of this, we bring a reflective tool inspired by Audre Lorde's [2]Questionnaire to Oneself to invite deeper engagement with the contradictions and silences within our own scholarly work.
{"title":"Deconstructing the ivory tower: The liminal space between margins and centers in climate research","authors":"Camille Belmin , Charlotte Sophia Bez , Zakia Soomauroo","doi":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104553","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.erss.2026.104553","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>What does it mean to produce climate science in 2026? Building on the dialogical approach of Fenner and Harcourt <span><span>[1]</span></span>, this paper explores how positionalities and emotional landscapes shape the work of three female researchers in climate science. Through a collective, reflexive dialogue, we confront the personal and structural tensions embedded in global climate science, examining power asymmetries, the tokenization of diversity, and the hegemonic dominance of quantification and masculinized norms. Our reflections draw attention to how scientific practices often, even unintentionally, perpetuate the very injustices they aim to address. These inherent exclusionary practices lead us to the idea of academia as a border. By weaving together anecdotal recollections and critical theory, we illuminate how situatedness matters, not just methodologically but politically. We critique the neoliberal and heteronormative underpinnings of academic institutions and propose a future-oriented agenda grounded in relationality, emotional honesty, and epistemic inclusivity. Our concluding recommendations aim to shift academic practice from extractive performance metrics to spaces of resistance, care, and collective transformation. As part of this, we bring a reflective tool inspired by Audre Lorde's <span><span>[2]</span></span> <em>Questionnaire to Oneself</em> to invite deeper engagement with the contradictions and silences within our own scholarly work.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48384,"journal":{"name":"Energy Research & Social Science","volume":"132 ","pages":"Article 104553"},"PeriodicalIF":7.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146078838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2026.104549
Fiona Bare , Jeff D. Colgan , Alexander S. Gard-Murray
Did firms accelerate decarbonization as a result of the 2015 Paris Agreement, particularly in industries where low-carbon options were technologically feasible? Paris marked a milestone in climate cooperation, but its effectiveness depends on the behavior of firms, which generate most global carbon emissions. Prior studies disagree on whether international agreements influence corporate action, and few analyze climate accords directly. This paper examines whether the Paris Agreement shifted corporate strategy in “convertible” industries, focusing on the automotive sector. Our analysis covers twelve global automakers, responsible for almost 80% of worldwide vehicle production, using six categories of primary evidence to assess strategic change. We find only limited evidence of decarbonization strategies tied to the Paris Agreement, suggesting that firm responses were at best incremental rather than transformative. These findings challenge optimistic accounts of the Paris Agreement's influence and call for continued efforts to understand the limits of international agreements in driving firm behavior to address climate change.
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