Abstract
A paradigm shift towards the so-called low carbon society is one of the main challenges that our societies have to face in the near future. In the framework of the European Commission’s 7th Framework Program research project MILESECURE-2050, empirical research was carried out to understand the social dynamics that may characterize this change in the future. The research involved a Europe-wide study of the communities that “anticipate”, at local level, some basic features of a future low carbon society, i.e. Anticipatory Experiences. The research analysed over 90 Anticipatory Experiences in 19 European countries. Some of the experiences analysed attempted to change a single aspect of their communities, such as developing sustainable transport, energy-efficient housing or the generation of property-level renewable energy. Others wanted to produce a holistic sustainable community that incorporated a fully functional and independent low energy network. In summary, all the Anticipatory Experiences developed, or are actively developing, sustainable ways of producing, consuming and transporting energy. The Anticipatory Experiences were found to be operating at different local scales, ranging from neighbourhoods and towns to major cities. Their anticipatory character may be defined as the ability to take decisions and develop practical solutions today, in order to resolve issues that the society in general, and the local community in particular, will have to confront in the near future, first of all those involving climate change and the depletion of “carbon” energy resources. Taking as its starting point the empirical evidence of the research, the paper investigates how the anticipatory features of these communities resulted in structural changes in both the energy system and the local social system and in radical changes in individual behaviours.
The future is already here —
it’s just not very evenly distributed
William F. Gibson
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Notes
- 1.
The various projects and other research initiatives funded by the EC include, among the others: PACT (Pathways for Carbon Transitions), PASHMINA (paradigm shifts modelling innovative approach), SPREAD (Sustainable lifestyles 2050), POLINARES (EU Policy on Natural Resources) and GILDED (Governance, Infrastructure, Lifestyle). Dynamics and Energy Demand: European Post-carbon Communities), AUGUR (Challenges for Europe in the world 2030), WEO (World Energy Outlook), WETO-T (World and European Energy and Environment Transition Outlook Report), MEDPRO (Mediterranean Prospects), MILESECURE-2050 (EU Low Carbon and Energy Security), POCACITO (Post-Carbon Cities of Tomorrow)
- 2.
Multidimensional Impact of the Low-carbon European Strategy on Energy Security, and socio-economic dimension up to 2050 Perspective (MILESECURE-2050) was funded under FP7 programme and was carried out in the period 2013–2015.
- 3.
For an overview of the studies on the complex relationship between science, technology and society, see d’Andrea and Declich 2014.
- 4.
- 5.
Social sciences and especially sociology have a long tradition of research on sociocultural stress, dealt with under different conceptual labels such as anomie, cultural trauma, social crisis or social stress. Only making reference to general sociology, we can mention, e.g. Durkheim 2014; Merton 1938; Pearlin 1989; Beck 1992; Aneshensel 1992.
- 6.
Anticipatory Experiences approach was adopted for the social study of materials. See Caiati and Declich 2016.
- 7.
See in this regard the important activities carried out by UNESCO Chair in Anticipatory Systems, included the present volume.
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Caiati, G., Quinti, G., d’Andrea, L. (2019). Energy Transition, Anticipation and Change: A Study on the Anticipatory Experiences of the Low Carbon Society. In: Poli, R., Valerio, M. (eds) Anticipation, Agency and Complexity. Anticipation Science, vol 4. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03623-2_8
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