Conflict and the energy crisis: Dynamics of energy conflicts

Abstract

For the section “policy conflicts as default” at the ECPR general conference 2022 this panel addresses the dynamics of policy conflicts that arise in the transition towards carbon neutral societies. With many governments working on a so called “energy transition”, there is no shortage of conflict over what the kinds of changes are that societies should work towards and, relatedly, who bears and should bear the benefits and costs of such changes. Conflict can arise over, for instance, wind farms, solar farms, transmission lines, geothermal wells, or fossil energy technologies such as hydraulic fracturing or natural gas production. Energy conflicts may also arise in retrofitting the housing stock or other top-down initiated interventions as part of the governmental energy transition policies. This panel focuses on the multi-level and multi-actor conflicts triggered by the governmental ambitions to realize carbon neutral futures. It wonders what the (de)escalation dynamics are of such energy conflicts and how policy makers, energy producers, citizen action groups, social movement organizations, experts, and others affect such conflicts?

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