The German government aims to become climate neutral by 2045. To achieve these ambitious goals, a reconstruction of the German energy sector is necessary to move from fossil fuel-based energy...Show moreThe German government aims to become climate neutral by 2045. To achieve these ambitious goals, a reconstruction of the German energy sector is necessary to move from fossil fuel-based energy sourced to renewable energies. However, the reconstruction of the energy sector cannot rely on technological innovations alone but must be accompanied by social innovations as well. This research aims to investigate the aspiring role of social innovations in the German energy transition process. Hereby a comparative small N (N=2) study is conducted of two German renewable energy communities that specialize in the generation of photovoltaic energy. A conceptual framework is developed focusing on the theoretical dimensions of transition potential, benefits and challenges in order to examine how the renewable energy communities aim to be part of the German energy transition process. The findings of this master thesis uncover that renewable energy communities in Germany seek to contribute to the shift in the energy system by becoming part of the socio-technical regime and by emphasizing a decentralized energy transition. Moreover, the results reveal that the contribution is limited by particular challenges such as the time resources of volunteers and political uncertainty.Show less
Predictions for the twenty-first century stipulate that an increasing amount of people will be forced to migrate as extreme weather events become more intense and frequent due to climate change....Show morePredictions for the twenty-first century stipulate that an increasing amount of people will be forced to migrate as extreme weather events become more intense and frequent due to climate change. Despite the migratory effects of climate change already being an issue on the international agenda for numerous years, a significant amount of uncertainty on (predictions of) climate-induced migration remains. To determine whether the international policy pressure on the issue is currently acted upon, this study examines how the Dutch government frames climate-induced migration in its policies. Additionally, with several Dutch newspapers covering the issue over the last few years, the type(s) of discourse on climate-induced migration used in newspaper articles and, thereby, the influence of the media in shaping how an issue is addressed in the political arena are analysed. In order to place the findings of the Dutch policy analysis in a broader perspective, the framing of climate-induced migration in EU policy areas is investigated as well. Lastly, to provide a meaningful overall comparison, stories outlining the experiences and needs of climate migrants are analysed. The findings that result from the conducted critical discourse analysis are surprising. First, they show a lack of political influence of the media. Second, they show that both the Dutch government and the EU only acknowledge or act upon climate-induced migration to prevent the need for migration. While the climate migrant stories partly demonstrate that using migration as an adaptation strategy may be far from desirable, prevention is only the first stage of climate-induced migration. Hence, policy recommendations (to the Dutch government) to meaningfully address all stages of the growing issue are presented.Show less
The Paris Clime Agreement in 2015 and the subsequent European Deal have put considerable pressure on countries to quicken the pace of their renewable energy transition. To keep global warming under...Show moreThe Paris Clime Agreement in 2015 and the subsequent European Deal have put considerable pressure on countries to quicken the pace of their renewable energy transition. To keep global warming under 1,5 degrees Celcius and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49% by 2030, the Dutch government published the national Climate Agreement in 2019. This document shifts the responsibility to draw up and implement a Regional Energy Strategy (RES) to 30 designated regions. However, the process of the RES has exposed issues of social injustices caused by the energy transition, leading to protests, social unrest a decline in public support for policies in local communities. This social dimension of energy justice in the energy transition tends to be overlooked by scholars and policymakers. By integrating the notion of multi-level governance with the concept of energy justice and its three core tenets - procedural, distributional and recognition justice - this thesis develops a novel conceptual framework to fill this gap and analyse energy justice in the energy transition in the Achterhoek region in the Netherlands. It explores the research question: How do various stakeholders at different levels of governance address energy justice in the case of the Achterhoek region in the Netherlands? It finds that energy justice measures are relatively integrated across each level of governance, with a predominant focus on (financial) participation measures. Moreover, it finds that the context in which energy justice is shaped is highly dynamic in which stakeholders interact and influence each other across levels of governance through extensive policy networks. Rather than a static phenomenon that can be analysed in isolated spheres of governance, the current thesis emphasises the highly dynamic and multi-level nature of energy justice.Show less
Pursuing climate justice is one of the main challenges in the creation of international and domestic climate change policies. The reason for this is the subjective nature of the concept of climate...Show morePursuing climate justice is one of the main challenges in the creation of international and domestic climate change policies. The reason for this is the subjective nature of the concept of climate justice, since what is perceived to be just by one, could be perceived to be unjust by others. By comparing the perceptions and translations of a Global North country’s government, the federal government of Canada, with the translations and perceptions of Global South country’s government, the government of Trinidad and Tobago, on the subject of climate justice, this thesis aims to provide the reader with a better understanding how climate justice can manifest itself in climate change policies. A discourse analysis has been conducted to uncover both national governments’ climate justice perceptions and translations. During the analysis and comparison of the climate justice discourse of both national governments, the researcher discovered that not so much the perceptions of climate justice differ, but rather what perception the national governments’ choose to focus on in its translations of the concept of climate justice into climate change policies. Their difference in focus can be explained by looking at the contexts in which both governments operate in and this difference in focus alludes to the notion that pursuing climate justice is a ‘luxury need’.Show less
