In Europe, citizens set the tone on energy transition

The sixth IPCC report, which was released last month, makes abundantly clear that the world is rapidly moving towards a total climate collapse, and that it is still feasible to cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius. The prerequisite, however, is immediate and decisive action to limit emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere.

In 2019, the European Union emitted around 3.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide, roughly 9 percent of all CO2 emissions worldwide. And while its politicians and companies alike claim they want to do everything possible to avert the most catastrophic consequences of climate change, their actions so far demonstrate otherwise.

But as Europe's political elite and industrial sector drag their feet on meaningful climate action, citizens across the continent seem to be recognising the urgency of the situation and acting accordingly.

A recently published study by the Western Norway University of Spplied Science examining citizen-led transitions to renewable energies in 30 European countries supports this impression.

Scientists have identified an estimated 10,540 civic initiatives involving more than 2 million people.

The informational halo effect 

People who joined such initiatives now collectively produce renewable-based electricity and heat generated from solar, hydropower, wind and biomass, the study points out. They also raise awareness, consult on issues like energy efficiency and sustainability plans and organise low-carbon mobility.

These initiatives include 22,830 projects and an installed renewable energy capacity of up to 9.9 GW.

"The European energy market was liberalised in the 1990s," said Valeria Jana Schwanitz, the study's lead-scientist, "and as a result, the respective national energy laws were aligned and opened up to new providers." The second factor causing European energy markets to become more sustainable, according to Schwanitz, is climate change.

"And as a third important component, there is digitalisation, which basically makes it possible for anyone to feed energy into the grid and sell it on the market."

The number of initiatives and people involved might seem small given that the total population of Europe is around 750 million. But one should not underestimate the degree to which these initiatives impact general public knowledge, opinions and actions, Schwanitz explained.

"For everyone who joins such an initiative, many more will have been informed and offered the opportunity to jump on the train. We call it the Informational Halo Effect."

From large providers to citizen-led initiatives

The political framework and its adoption in respective national laws is crucial for Europe's energy transition. It is therefore difficult to compare countries based on the number of participants or the amount of electricity generated.

"With Denmark, for example, we have the case of a country that was once considered a pioneer in wind energy provision driven by citizen-led initiatives, but has now seen a declining number of new initiatives for several years," explained August Wierling, a theoretical physicist at Western Norway University who also contributed to the study. "In Spain, on the other hand, we are struggling to keep track of the many new citizens' initiatives popping up all over the country."

In both countries, the development can be traced back to the respective political framework conditions in the energy sector, said Wierling.

When it comes to energy supply, a move away from the large-scale state or commercial providers towards citizen-friendly, cooperative and sustainable solutions does not only seem desirable, but also inevitable.

Citizen-friendly solutions also apply to the housing market

This, to some degree, also applies to the housing market, i.e. to the question of how we want to live in the future, said Anne Weiss, a non-fiction author of bestselling books on climate change and sustainability.

"Alternative forms of living, such as tiny houses or other forms of sustainable, low-energy consuming forms of housing, are important trends, but they are far from going mainstream," Weiss said.

She added, "It's not for everyone to get organised independently, as it takes a lot of effort, strength and know-how. This is precisely why it is so important that the European Union sets out clear measures and methods to promote the circular economy in the construction sector.

"Experts therefore recommend a building resource passport. And incentives to renovate existing buildings and use resources sparingly. We still waste too much - which is why sufficiency needs to be at the centre of all political action, especially in the building sector, which in Germany, for example, produces the most emissions next to transport."

For her new book Der beste Platz zum Leben (The best place to live), which will be published in August 2023, Weiss tested some sustainable living ideas herself. She lived in a tiny house, a multi-generational house, moved into a yurt, a self-sufficient farm and a mud house in an eco villag. She even tried out a houseboat near Berlin.

"I wanted to know how we want to live if climate change continues to heat up our cities. When living space becomes ever scarcer and rents ever more unaffordable," Weiss explained.

She was looking for a way of living that is not only sustainable, but also makes her happy. "There's plenty of room for imagination between Hong Kong‘s 'coffin homes' and a den in the forest."

In fact, there are numerous examples of what is possible: Barcelona‘s Superblocks, the green infrastructure of Valencia, the 15-minute city of Paris, Copenhagen as a center of green growth and the bike capital Groningen - to name a few.

All of the projects that truly work point in one direction: community. "Solar panels and heating grids make a lot more sense when we're powering an entire settlement rather than just a self-contained cottage," Anne Weiss added.

"The best projects - no matter at what level of society - come about when people get together who are really serious about sustainability, because they understand that we as a species only have a future if we live sufficiently."

Image by Li-An Lim.