Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future

Based on an extensive synthesis of semi-structured interviews, media content analysis, and reviews, this article conducts a qualitative meta-analysis of more than 560 sources of evidence to identify 38 visions associated with seven different low-carbon innovations – automated mobility, electric vehi...

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Main Authors: Sovacool, BK, Bergman, N, Hopkins, D, Jenkins, KEH, Hielscher, S, Goldthau, A, Brossman, B
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publications 2020
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author Sovacool, BK
Bergman, N
Hopkins, D
Jenkins, KEH
Hielscher, S
Goldthau, A
Brossman, B
author_facet Sovacool, BK
Bergman, N
Hopkins, D
Jenkins, KEH
Hielscher, S
Goldthau, A
Brossman, B
author_sort Sovacool, BK
collection OXFORD
description Based on an extensive synthesis of semi-structured interviews, media content analysis, and reviews, this article conducts a qualitative meta-analysis of more than 560 sources of evidence to identify 38 visions associated with seven different low-carbon innovations – automated mobility, electric vehicles, smart meters, nuclear power, shale gas, hydrogen, and the fossil fuel divestment movement – playing a key role in current deliberations about mobility or low-carbon energy supply and use. From this material, it analyzes such visions based on rhetorical features such as common problems and functions, storylines, discursive struggles, and rhetorical effectiveness. It also analyzes visions based on typologies or degrees of valence (utopian vs. dystopian), temporality (proximal vs. distant), and radicalism (incremental vs. transformative). The article is motivated by the premise that tackling climate change via low-carbon energy systems (and practices) is one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century, and that effective decarbonization will require not only new energy technologies, but also new ways of understanding language, visions, and discursive politics surrounding emerging innovations and transitions.
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spelling oxford-uuid:e0369a73-0b7e-412a-84b4-6a6fa293acda2022-03-27T09:45:26ZImagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon futureJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:e0369a73-0b7e-412a-84b4-6a6fa293acdaEnglishSymplectic ElementsSAGE Publications2020Sovacool, BKBergman, NHopkins, DJenkins, KEHHielscher, SGoldthau, ABrossman, BBased on an extensive synthesis of semi-structured interviews, media content analysis, and reviews, this article conducts a qualitative meta-analysis of more than 560 sources of evidence to identify 38 visions associated with seven different low-carbon innovations – automated mobility, electric vehicles, smart meters, nuclear power, shale gas, hydrogen, and the fossil fuel divestment movement – playing a key role in current deliberations about mobility or low-carbon energy supply and use. From this material, it analyzes such visions based on rhetorical features such as common problems and functions, storylines, discursive struggles, and rhetorical effectiveness. It also analyzes visions based on typologies or degrees of valence (utopian vs. dystopian), temporality (proximal vs. distant), and radicalism (incremental vs. transformative). The article is motivated by the premise that tackling climate change via low-carbon energy systems (and practices) is one of the most significant challenges of the twenty-first century, and that effective decarbonization will require not only new energy technologies, but also new ways of understanding language, visions, and discursive politics surrounding emerging innovations and transitions.
spellingShingle Sovacool, BK
Bergman, N
Hopkins, D
Jenkins, KEH
Hielscher, S
Goldthau, A
Brossman, B
Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title_full Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title_fullStr Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title_full_unstemmed Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title_short Imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions: valence, temporality, and radicalism in 38 visions of a low-carbon future
title_sort imagining sustainable energy and mobility transitions valence temporality and radicalism in 38 visions of a low carbon future
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