Atomium Culture and Lund University are pleased to present a recent report on Governance for a Low-Carbon Society based on an expert workshop at the advent of the Copenhagen Climate Summit.
While the international community has yet failed to provide any clear sense of direction, a swift transition to low- or zero-carbon energy systems will still be necessary to achieve over the coming decades. By and large, such a shift seems feasible and affordable based on what we know about available resources, technology and costs but will involve unprecedented challenges for political institutions and processes. In light of this, the report is a call for a new notion of governance to enable and instigate transitions towards a low-carbon society.
Old mindsets, focused on the short-term and least-cost mitigation, have to give way for more appealing narratives of a low-carbon future. Carbon-pricing mechanisms are important to create incentives for climate action, but carbon prices alone will not be sufficient. New and appropriate policies and institutions related to specific mitigation options – notably energy efficiency, renewables and carbon capture and storage (CCS) – are needed to maintain speed in the transition and to handle the dynamics, conflicts and unintended consequences along the way. One option might be the introduction of institutions approximating the idea of ‘carbon central banks’ to guarantee dynamic consistency over the longer term. Instigating high rates of energy-efficiency improvements, implementing super-smart grids, transforming the energy supply mix, while handling biomass and land-use issues, and getting public support for CCS are other tasks that seems particularly challenging. Furthermore, policy integration across different domains are crucial to address a multitude of barriers and create enabling conditions.
How to govern low-carbon transitions is uncharted territory and will require innovative approaches to governance. In our report we highlight the critical questions at stake and single out some possible ways forward.
To go to full Report follow the link below:
http://atomiumculture.org/node/283
To download Executive Summary click on the icon above.
