Energy Research & Social Science 89 (2022) 102639

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Energy Research & Social Science

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/erss

Perspective

The energy futures we want: A research and policy agenda for

energy transitions☆
Andrea Gatto
Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou 325060, Zhejiang Province, China
Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB, UK
Centre for Studies on Europe, Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC), Azerbaijan

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

JEL codes: Understanding the energy transition is crucial for determining future business, societal and ecological trajec­
O13 tories. Upcoming economic, environmental and social change will depend on how energy policy will model
O33 energy transition and adapt to connected transformations. This paper has the purpose to draft a possible agenda
Q47
to forecast and react to those changes. Opting for a sustainability perspective, the paper presents a possible
Q56
roadmap, based on selected areas of intervention for the upcoming energy transition – knowledge, jobs, edu­
Keywords:
cation, empowerment, regional cases, politics and policy action. The research argues that by acting on these
Energy transition
Agenda
pillars and consolidating duly action, the upcoming energy transitions will be more likely to experience desirable
Energy policy energy futures.
Energy research
Energy futures

1. The call for energy transitions
Energy transition is a subject of enormous scholarly, policy and
practical importance and topicality. Energy transition is made of a
rapidly-evolving range of topics and passes through structural change,
innovation, flexibility and energy efficiency [1–5]. The energy policy
and transition choices undertaken in this purview will contribute to
determining not only the domestic energy mixes but also serves as a
compass to detect the wider energy production and the consequent
implications in economic, social and environmental terms.
Among the various issues related to the energy transition, some have
premier relevance. A crucial priority is the analysis of the energy,
ecological, social, political and economic transition towards sustainable
models. Energy transitions facilitating sustainable development and
energy futures design are here conceived as an array of pathways
pointing at socioeconomic, environmental and governance goals. Be­
sides, sustainable energy transition is tightened to social change,
renewable energy resources uptakes and cleaner productions and con­
sumptions [4,6,7]. Sustainable energy transitions are expected to lead to
reduced carbon emissions and, progressively, to economies increasingly
based on renewable energies. Other aspects of primary importance are
the definition and measurement of the interlinked issue of energy
vulnerability and resilience policies to offset their impact to limit energy
poverty amidst major societal changes [8,9].
Major recent shocks such as COVID-19, the 2021-2022 energy crisis
and the invasion of of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the
resulting war risk decelerating the pace of the undergoing carbon
neutrality objective, switching the focus of energy policy of many
countries to energy security goals [10,11,72]. However, major adverse
events give us the opportunity to challenge the status quo and undertake
the required policies to foster more resilient energy and ecological
transition pathways which are likely to facilitate the decarbonisation
process and the formulation of green deals – in the EU and in other world
regions [12].
The research note at hand aims to draft a possible agenda for energy
transition underpinned by sustainable development. Other key publi­
cations highlighted the need for energy (transition) agendas, exploring a
range of topics or locations and making use of alternative lenses and
methodologies [13–20]. This note offers a conceptual contribution in
detecting some of the key aspects of the energy transition, sketching
potential research, policy and action outlines. This work may also help
understand possible scholarly streams ahead in energy research.

☆
I am grateful to Benjamin Sovacool and Luke Putres for their help.
E-mail address: a.gatto@greenwich.ac.uk.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2022.102639
Received 8 January 2022; Received in revised form 24 March 2022; Accepted 27 April 2022
Available online 10 May 2022
2214-6296/© 2022 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
A. Gatto
Potential energy transition landscapes are here conceived as different
possibilities within a holistic picture. To serve this scope, the paper
scrutinises key sectors worth being investigated – namely, knowledge
and civil action, green jobs and entrepreneurship, education and
training, gender gaps and vulnerable empowerment, regional evidence
on energy transitions, politics and policymaking and future prospects for
energy transitions.
2. Knowledge and civil action
The attention devoted to the fallout of energy policy is growing.
Energy is increasingly talked about in society, often associating it with
environmental and climatic issues. The growing initiatives widespread
in recent years include the climate strikes and activism and the Fridays
for Future initiative firstly stirred up by Greta Thunberg, which have
sensitised a slice of the population and brought back the discourse on
environmental problems of anthropogenic nature [21]. In particular,
these events have shed light on the centrality of energy policy and
transition, which are complicit in climate change adaptation mitigation
and greenhouse gas emissions [22]. Civil society is responding by
adapting with a series of proposals.
However, despite some positive signals and efforts in endorsing en­
ergy transition commitments, in many countries, there is still little talk
about energy transition and even less is known about it. This is primarily
due to the fact that energy transition requires technical and interdisci­
plinary knowledge [24]. Energy policy communication is recurrently
characterised by poor information and awareness and strong or even
false assumptions and myths that need to be debunked [25]. This also
happens because national politics often tend to propose simple answers
to complex problems. In many cases, these are technical decisions, with
no univocal answer. This problem risks producing adverse selections in
policymaking and modelling with the consequence of accommodating
popular political decisions and designing irrational, populistic or inef­
ficient energy pathways and transitions [26]. However, the imple­
mentation of efforts and strategies aimed at learning, disseminating and
discussing crucial issues related to transition and energy policy would be
an effective strategy and a step forward.
To examine these subjects, a need for investments in energy transi­
tion research – especially interdisciplinary scholarship – arises. This
aspect is relevant in communication, dissemination and innovative
projects. Fungible examples are some internationally-funded energy
transition programmes. In many countries, even in developing regions,
communities are fostering their own energy emancipation by carrying
out energy transition projects, in some cases engaging with external
funding, creating proper energy communities and jumpstarting new
organisations and businesses [9,27].
Energy transition can empower vulnerable groups with sustainable
entrepreneurship. By creating green jobs and business and fostering
socioeconomic inclusiveness, these programmes are benefiting above all
rural and developing economies, fostering local, sustainable and human
development and boosting entrepreneurship, especially among unem­
ployed, poor and vulnerable people [9,28]. These experiences are
paving the way for new possibilities and tools for technological inno­
vation [29]. These programmes intend to guarantee universal energy
access, improve the quality of life and wellbeing of people and orient
consumption and production towards cleaner energy transitions and
more sustainable models. These projects have an enormous economic,
environmental and social impact and are aimed above all at the eman­
cipation of vulnerable categories and energy entrepreneurship based on
renewable sources.
3. Green jobs and entrepreneurship
The labour market is a key sector to be considered for the energy
transition. In a rapidly changing environment, a relatively young sector
such as energy and energy transition requires specific professionals and
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Energy Research & Social Science 89 (2022) 102639
workers having precise technical skills. Albeit the impact of renewables
take-off on green jobs and entrepreneurship is not always guaranteed,
today, there is a strong demand for positions in technical fields, engi­
neering, data analysis and statistics. Nonetheless, this domain is still
little explored in many sectors – though the interest attributed to them is
on the rise [30–33]. Unlike in the past, the sector no longer seeks only
technical figures, but is increasingly making use of transversal pro­
fessionals equipped with heterogeneous skills and the trend is
ascending. This is the case of the human and social sciences. Whatever
the undertaken pathway will look like, the labour market will be largely
influenced by political choices: to understand what type of supply and
demand to forecast and expect, it is first necessary to define what type of
energy transition is conceived.
Energy transition offers a range of paths, challenges and opportu­
nities, but it is also characterised by weaknesses and risks. In this pro­
cess, aspects such as sustainability, resilience and vulnerability become
essential cornerstones for guaranteeing energy security and an inter­
generational, clean energy transition based on renewable energy sources
[34]. However, it should be noted that, as further confirmed by the 2022
geopolitical and energy crisis, the energy transition process will require
most countries to go through phases in which the presence of carbon-
based energies will still dominate. Nevertheless, this trend is progres­
sively becoming less predominant and, probably, the choice will lean
towards sources via less polluting and impacting ecosystems and the
governance of natural resources, societies and economic systems [6]. In
this sense, natural resources relate to technological and economic
modernisation, whereas its management effectiveness is the crux for
accelerating structural change in oil-abundant economies [35,36].
4. Education, training and cultural change
Energy transition, and more generally energy policy, require tech­
nical training and education across diverse fields, from the hard to the
soft sciences. The various social sciences provide many tools and skills
suitable for analysing and evaluating complex dynamics and phenomena
related to the energy transition. In general, it is crucial to interpret
trends, energy demand and forerun innovation trajectories. Under­
standing and anticipating these dynamics become a fundamental
requirement for competing in terms of employment and an area in which
will be reasonably worthy to invest in training, as well as a useful ability
in the working environment [37,38]. Additional crucial aspects in which
to invest are retraining and professional redirection – which are
constantly evolving in this sector.
For primary education, interactive workshops and lessons for the
youth can be of great help in introducing basic concepts. For non-formal
training, courses, seminars and workshops are on the rise. However, it
must first be established what message will have to be carried and how
the issue is approached: as energy transition is made of specific topics, a
certain degree of understanding is required on both sides. For higher
education, an interdisciplinary angle, accompanied by a holistic and
pluralistic approach to the issue, would contribute to an overview of the
problem and dynamics [23,39]. In any case, training should be oriented
towards a dialogue that manages to communicate with different actors
and reaches the widest audience and stakeholders. This includes the
flexibility of schedules and tools to ensure the fullest use of training for
each professional figure and, especially in this period, the preparation of
digital channels for distance learning. There is a need to train students,
but also entrepreneurs, politicians and civil society as a whole. These
transformations imply a more radical cultural change on energy for the
years ahead [40].
5. Gender gaps, unemployed people, poor and vulnerable
empowerment
To understand the magnitude of the sectoral gender gaps, one shall
first define the pertaining domain, given that some energy sectors and
A. Gatto
specific functions are almost completely a man's prerogative. However,
it is essential to underline that in countries where socio-economic
gender inequalities are of significance – even in the West –, the sector
suffers from such gaps in terms of employment, differences in manage­
rial, leadership and social positions, as well as wage gaps, discrimination
and additional inequalities [9]. However, new green jobs and entre­
preneurship can mitigate these trends, fostering women empowerment
[38]. It shall be noticed that, when addressing emancipation and
inequality discourses, it is still important to extend the talk to all
vulnerable categories – above all unemployed people and the poor [9].
On a practical level, it is encouraging to know that many innovative
projects are geared towards female users, unemployed and rural people
and the poor (and, more generally, vulnerable categories). A shred of
evidence is the numerous energy production initiatives within local
communities – i.e. energy communities –, where people become pro­
sumers [41,42]. The number of energy communities, cooperatives and
projects to empower local people and the vulnerable through renewable
energy projects is increasing all over the world. These programmes are
being implemented both in industrialised and non-industrialised econ­
omies and are giving noteworthy contributions to energy transition
[13,43,44].
In many cases, these energy transition projects are dedicated to
empowering women, the poor, unemployed people and vulnerable
groups, providing tools for electricity access, green energy and energy
security for tackling energy poverty [45]. Often, mini-grids, nano-grids
and smart grids implementation is conceived as a vehicle for improving
the governance of electricity as a common good [46]. Many efforts have
been made to converge in this direction, but at the gender gaps, eman­
cipation and equality level, many countries of the world – even in the
industrialised world – still suffer from these serious problems.
6. Regional evidence
The analysis of the multitude of regional economic and political
approaches to the problem is another key element to be inspected. The
node is central in Europe and around the world. This is demonstrated by
the fact that today, many regions have triggered processes of energy
emancipation over countries that hold monopolies, oligopolies or car­
tels, retain market power and often exert market abuse. In any case,
nowadays many states prefer or are called to refer to supranational or
intergovernmental organisations for the governance and management of
transition and energy images [6].
In this sense, the 2021-2022 energy crisis is again instructive. An
example of the mentioned trend is the case of many countries vis- à-vis
Russia – above all, Eastern European, Baltic, Balkan and Caucasian and
Central Asian countries and former Soviets and USRR satellite nations.
The evidence presents highly relevant connotations for the national and
regional energy security of these states, as well as the Caucasian and the
European regions as a whole, and includes the implementation of trans-
regional projects that require substantial funds and investments. This
step is essential to mitigate the national and local energy vulnerability of
many countries and therefore produce and supply secure, stable and
continuous energy, traded at affordable prices – an energy resilience
strategy towards the ecological transition [47].
7. Politics and policymaking
The political dimension will determine the directions for the future
energy transition, from the short to the long term. Only a far-sighted
policy, aimed at ensuring an intergenerational equity perspective,
would be able to undertake paths of a real energy transition, in the wake
of an effective Green New Deal on both Atlantic shores [48,49]. Local,
national and supranational institutions are fundamental for the correct
completion of this complex process. A recent insight can be drawn from
the integration of the ministry for ecological transition in various Eu­
ropean governments and, ultimately, that can be interpreted as an
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Energy Research & Social Science 89 (2022) 102639
encouraging sign. The intent is to entrust these ministries to sectoral
experts, to technicians of various sorts.
The energy transition is an important opportunity for local econo­
mies, the West and the world. It remains to be seen whether the in­
stitutions will have the intention of transforming this occasion into a
turning point that will bring important results in the energy field and
more generally in climate, energy and environmental change and justice
and sustainable development [34,50–52]. Alternatively, the energy
transition will only remain a political propaganda tool. A reflection in
this regard can also be formulated for international organisations, which
for years have been exploring and promoting innovative models of en­
ergy transition. However, the implementation of political action still
remains inadequate and their effectiveness and even their intentions are
under discussion [53].
Energy politics and policymaking are determinant for massive soci­
etal changes [54]. The most recent political action on energy resilience
has been dominated by climate change, the call for ecological transition,
COVID-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian conflict of 2022. These and other
events have generated disruptive shocks or major changes [10,11].
Energy is a leading cause of the past and ongoing attacks of Russia on
Ukraine [55]. The current war in Ukraine and the previous energy price
crisis generated by Russia have direct repercussions on the worldwide
geopolitical stability and global food and energy security and poverty –
most notably gas, oil and electricity prices and energy transition all over
the world [56–59,72]. With the need to considerably revisit their energy
mixes and reduce the role of gas and oil and diversify their suppliers,
many countries have now the opportunity to either move steps back to
even more polluting fossil fuels or to accelerate their transition towards
more sustainable energy sources, in line with the Green New Deal
mandate [6,12].
8. The future of energy transition
This paper discussed possible scenarios and selected actions for
fostering energy transition with the objective to provide an overlook of
the issue making use of a sustainable development angle. The paper
investigated selected sectors that are likely to shape the future of energy
transition – i.e. the necessity for an energy transition agenda, knowledge
and civil action, the job market and entrepreneurship, sectoral educa­
tion, gender and vulnerable empowerment, regional experiences, poli­
tics and policymaking. As such, this perspective paper offers an
overview of the issue, investigating some of the topics connected to
energy transition. Different subjects, approaches and methodologies
may be used alternatively. It is outlined that energy transition is not a
univocal concept and requires pluralistic and holistic outlooks. None­
theless, the research claims that a comprehensive blueprint will allow
taking into account the sketched dimensions. The expected results will
include improved knowledge of the issue [24], electricity price and
distributional divide smoothing [60], as well as tackling urgent issues
such as the vulnerable's empowerment, energy poverty and vulnera­
bility in terms of deprivation and wellbeing [8,61].
The current times are being characterised by abrupt changes.
Regardless of their predictability, these major adverse events show that
socioeconomic aggregates are required to increase their preparedness,
adaptation, mitigation to change and energy resilience to offset risk and
energy vulnerability and insecurity. In these dynamics, energy transition
policy has become a central subject. Continuous political, socioeco­
nomic and environmental disruptions and shocks call for rapid and
sound decisions and adjustments in the energy sector. Frequent price
volatility, speculations, conflicts and geopolitical instability are only
some of the utmost consequences of undesirable or even inadequate
energy transitions, generated by poor management, governance and
planning.
Smoothing the risk of these radical energy disturbances and crises is
an open challenge for our societies. New energy sources which are now
being explored can produce massive breakthroughs, radically
A. Gatto
transforming our societies and ecological and economic approaches. A
number of new sources such as hydrogen, fusion and tidal and wave
power, as well as new techniques to existing sources, are seen as po­
tential options for starting achieving global sustainable development
targets by 2050 [62–64].
Possible outcomes may be tracked by checking SDGs implementation
over the sustainable development value chain. Some of the indicators
include a number of transformations: inter alia, increases in green jobs
and entrepreneurship, innovation and education and information stan­
dards, fostered socioeconomic inclusiveness, local, sustainable and
human development and entrepreneurship boosting – primarily target­
ing women, rural people, people with disability, minorities, unem­
ployed, poor and vulnerable human categories [65,66]. To this end,
countries, organisations, households and individuals are asked to
convey towards sustainable development goals, on the basis of improved
energy governance, policy and regulation effectiveness and efficiency
[67,68].
The future energy transition pathways that will be embarked on will
heavily depend on policymaking and interest groups, on personal and
organisational choices related to resource governance – whether busi­
nesses, households, the civil society or individuals [69]. These guide­
lines are driven by citizens' environmental concerns and behaviour and
by political decisionmakers [70]. In this framework, sustainability and
complexity will have an evolving and central role in determining the
dynamics and the timing of the processes [39,71]. These choices will be
decisive in delineating the contents of a foreseeable agenda, informing
the development trajectories we want for our societies and guiding the
change we decide to embrace.
Declaration of competing interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
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