Social Innovation and the Energy Transition

The transition to low carbon energy systems cannot solely rely on technological innovation. It also requires social innovation. In the context of energy transition social innovation can be defined as innovation that is social in its means and which contributes to low carbon energy transition, civic empowerment and social goals pertaining to the...

A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Energy Transition Within 1.5 ^oC: Backcasting Scenario for 100% Decarbonization of the Global Energy System by 2050

Limiting global temperature increase by 1.5 ̊C rather than 2 ̊C reduces the impacts of climate change significantly (Knutti et al., 2015; Schleussner et al., 2016). It requires a rigorous transition of the global energy system in a very short time span. Though, the published energy scenarios that focus on 1.5 ̊C are limited (Peters, 2016). In...

Guest editorial: Governing the challenges of climate change and energy transition in cities

Cities form the key context within which social, economic and environmental challenges for sustainable development will manifest in the years to come. As they face the grand societal challenges of climate change and the greening of energy systems, city governments are confronted with the challenge of designing and implementing workable policy...