Conflicted Energy Transition—Conception of a Theoretical Framework for Its Investigation

Abstract

Energy transition plays a central role in efforts to reduce anthropogenic global warming. However, energy transition involves physical manifestations, for example in the form of wind turbines, photovoltaic plants, and power lines, which trigger resistance, especially among those who live in the vicinity of the (planned) plants. The reasons for this resistance are complex, as they relate to residents’ emotional ties and/or stereotypical common-sense expectations of landscape. The complexity of landscape conflicts in general, and energy transition-related conflicts in particular, makes it difficult to capture the intricacy of the subject matter by means of a single theoretical perspective. To address this difficulty, a neopragmatic approach of identifying and combining appropriate theoretical perspectives is utilized to develop an analytic framework for understanding these conflicts. To this end, we draw on Dahrendorf’s conflict theory and the framing approach. Both have high complementary explanatory potential and empirical applicability, with the framing approach broadening the theoretical prism to include micro-individuals and groups to Dahrendorf’s meso-social perspective.

Integrating Framing Approaches as a Tool for Managing Complex Transitioning to Renewable Energy (TRE) Projects: The Yatir Wind Farm Case Study

“…In the sustainability transition, stakeholders with diverse knowledge and cultural perspectives must consider science-based technologies together with ethical and political considerations [18]. On the one hand, stakeholders may differ in their belief in science [5]. On the other hand, they have increasing access to knowledge through media.…”

“…Framing has been found to contribute to understanding and managing conflicts, particularly with respect to public policy and environmental issues [29,34]. Framing may influence how a conflict evolves, contributing to its (in)tractability [5]. Types of frames found to play a key role in environmental domains include identity, characterization, and conflict management frames [34,38].…”

“…One of the main agreements of the COP28 is to move away from the use of fossil fuels with a "swift, just and equitable transition" towards renewable energy. Wind energy, while promising, is a contentious source of renewable energy [3][4][5]. The focus of this research is on how stakeholders understand and communicate the process of transitioning to wind energy, as exemplified by the Yatir Wind Farm project in Israel.…”

The Contributions of Philosophy and the Social Sciences to Landscape Conflict Research—A Critical Comparison

“…They contradict the a-modal norm of the stability of the structures of landscape 1, and they contradict classical landscape aesthetic b-modal ideas, although they can correspond to the ecological part of b-modal landscape ideas. They also contradict c-modal ideas if these follow, for example, the paradigm of the 'preservation of historical cultural landscape' or the special protection of species, which correspond to the c-modal norms to landscape if these are aligned to the mitigation of anthropogenic climate change [148][149][150].…”

Wicked facets of the German energy transition – examples from the electricity, heating, transport, and industry sectors

“…The socio-political implementation of the energy transition is contested, and a multitude of stakeholders with different interests (cf. Reusswig, Komendantova, and Battaglini 2018;Kühne et al 2022), trade-offs and unmitigated conflicts can inhibit the transition process. Schmid, Knopf, and Pechan (2016, 272) argue that the German energy transition is a "power struggle between a large variety of actors that differ profoundly as with respect to their motives and underlying worldviews", hinting at a great stakeholder divergence, one of the defining characteristics of wicked problems.…”