TIPPING+

Abstract:

Clean energy transitions in Coal and Carbon-intensive Regions (CCIRs) are a priority for the EU’s climate and sustainable development strategies. They help to secure the creation of quality and decent jobs in the long term. The COVID pandemic has  accelerated the need for grounded knowledge about how to enact deliberate deep transformations in social-ecological systems. However, little is known about why, how and when abrupt and irreversible changes triggered by apparently small events, or tipping points, occur in social-energy systems.

TIPPING+ will further the scientific and practical under-standing of why and under what conditions regional systems heavily dependent on coal and carbon-intensive activities flip into a low-carbon, clean energy devel-opment trajectories; or on the contrary, go in the opposite direction with all their negative social-ecological impli-cations. In particular TIPPING+ will: Examine the critical concept of Social-Ecological Tipping Points (SETPs) to understand and support clean energy transitions in over 20 Coal and Carbon Intensive Regions (CCIRs) in Europe - including Greenland - Australia, Canada and Indonesia.

Identify tipping interventions aimed at: 1. supporting positive SETPs through transformative policies and / or 2. preventing catastrophic outcomes provoked by crossing negative social-economic thresholds derived from e.g. inaction, the rise of populism or anti-democratic attitudes.

Assess collective visions and narratives and the required transformative capacities to generate key strategies, solutions and socio-technical innovations which will lead to systemic transformations in CCIRS toward low-carbon clean energy futures.