Foulds Chris, Royston Sarah, Berker Thomas, Nakopoulou Efi, Bharucha Zareen Pervez, Robison Rosie, Abram Simone, Ančić Branko, Arapostathis Stathis, Badescu Gabriel, Bull Richard, Cohen Jed, Dunlop Tessa, Dunphy Niall, Dupont Claire, Fischer Corinna, Gram-Hanssen Kirsten, Grandclément Catherine, Heiskanen Eva, Labanca Nicola, Jeliazkova Maria, Jörgens Helge, Keller Margit, Kern Florian, Lombardi Patrizia, Mourik Ruth, Ornetzeder Michael, Pearson Peter J G, Rohracher Harald, Sahakian Marlyne, Sari Ramazan, Standal Karina, Živčič Lidija
Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture, Centre for Technology and Society, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Humanit Soc Sci Commun. 2022;9(1):223. doi: 10.1057/s41599-022-01243-z. Epub 2022 Jun 30.
Decades of techno-economic energy policymaking and research have meant evidence from the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH)-including critical reflections on what changing a society's relation to energy (efficiency) even means-have been underutilised. In particular, (i) the SSH have too often been sidelined and/or narrowly pigeonholed by policymakers, funders, and other decision-makers when driving research agendas, and (ii) the setting of SSH-focused research agendas has not historically embedded inclusive and deliberative processes. The aim of this paper is to address these gaps through the production of a research agenda outlining future SSH research priorities for energy efficiency. A Horizon Scanning exercise was run, which sought to identify 100 priority SSH questions for energy efficiency research. This exercise included 152 researchers with prior SSH expertise on energy efficiency, who together spanned 62 (sub-)disciplines of SSH, 23 countries, and a full range of career stages. The resultant questions were inductively clustered into seven themes as follows: (1) Citizenship, engagement and knowledge exchange in relation to energy efficiency; (2) Energy efficiency in relation to equity, justice, poverty and vulnerability; (3) Energy efficiency in relation to everyday life and practices of energy consumption and production; (4) Framing, defining and measuring energy efficiency; (5) Governance, policy and political issues around energy efficiency; (6) Roles of economic systems, supply chains and financial mechanisms in improving energy efficiency; and (7) The interactions, unintended consequences and rebound effects of energy efficiency interventions. Given the consistent centrality of energy efficiency in policy programmes, this paper highlights that well-developed SSH approaches are ready to be mobilised to contribute to the development, and/or to understand the implications, of energy efficiency measures and governance solutions. Implicitly, it also emphasises the heterogeneity of SSH policy evidence that can be produced. The agenda will be of use for both (1) those new to the energy-SSH field (including policyworkers), for learnings on the capabilities and capacities of energy-SSH, and (2) established energy-SSH researchers, for insights on the collectively held futures of energy-SSH research.
数十年来的技术经济能源政策制定与研究意味着，社会科学与人文科学（SSH）的证据——包括对改变社会与能源的关系（效率）究竟意味着什么的批判性思考——一直未得到充分利用。具体而言，（i）在推动研究议程时，社会科学与人文科学常常被政策制定者、资助者及其他决策者边缘化和/或狭隘地归类，（ii）以社会科学与人文科学为重点的研究议程的设定在历史上并未纳入包容性和审议性过程。本文旨在通过制定一份研究议程来填补这些空白，该议程概述了未来社会科学与人文科学在能源效率方面的研究重点。开展了一次前沿扫描活动，旨在确定100个能源效率研究的重点社会科学与人文科学问题。此次活动包括152名先前具有能源效率方面社会科学与人文科学专业知识的研究人员，他们涵盖了社会科学与人文科学的62个（子）学科、23个国家以及各个职业阶段。由此产生的问题被归纳为以下七个主题：（1）与能源效率相关的公民身份、参与和知识交流；（2）与公平、正义、贫困和脆弱性相关的能源效率；（3）与日常生活以及能源消费和生产实践相关的能源效率；（4）能源效率的框架构建、定义和衡量；（5）围绕能源效率的治理、政策和政治问题；（6）经济系统、供应链和金融机制在提高能源效率方面的作用；（7）能源效率干预措施的相互作用、意外后果和反弹效应。鉴于能源效率在政策项目中始终处于核心地位，本文强调，完善的社会科学与人文科学方法已准备好被调动起来，以促进能源效率措施和治理解决方案的制定，和/或理解其影响。含蓄地说，它还强调了可以产生的社会科学与人文科学政策证据的异质性。该议程将对以下两类人有用：（1）能源 - 社会科学与人文科学领域的新手（包括政策工作者），用于了解能源 - 社会科学与人文科学的能力和容量，（2）成熟的能源 - 社会科学与人文科学研究人员，用于了解能源 - 社会科学与人文科学研究的共同未来的见解。
