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Political Ecology of renewable energy transitions on the Åland Islands

Chu, Moon Hee LU and Lakota, Miroslav LU (2023) In Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science MESM02 20231
LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies)
Abstract
Amidst a climate and biodiversity crisis, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources has become imperative. On the Åland Islands, planned large-scale offshore wind farms offer potential economic growth but entail environmental and social impacts. This study investigates the discourses of renewable energy transitions on Åland using a political ecology framework for energy transitions, an energy justice framework, and narrative analysis. We collected data through interviews with local
stakeholders and a literature review of academic papers and the local newspapers.Findings reveal that the energy transition is largely driven by economic growth and profit motives rather than motivation to address the climate crisis. We... (More)
Amidst a climate and biodiversity crisis, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources has become imperative. On the Åland Islands, planned large-scale offshore wind farms offer potential economic growth but entail environmental and social impacts. This study investigates the discourses of renewable energy transitions on Åland using a political ecology framework for energy transitions, an energy justice framework, and narrative analysis. We collected data through interviews with local
stakeholders and a literature review of academic papers and the local newspapers.Findings reveal that the energy transition is largely driven by economic growth and profit motives rather than motivation to address the climate crisis. We observed concerns about unequal gender participation in decision-making processes and unawareness or denial of existence of the problem from politicians. The construction of wind farms entails an enclosure of the seabed and land for port development, with potentially adverse environmental impacts. This paper contributes to sustainability science by providing insights into the complexities and challenges of energy transitions on islands. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Chu, Moon Hee LU and Lakota, Miroslav LU
supervisor
organization
course
MESM02 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Renewable energy transitions, Sustainability Science, Offshore wind farms, Political Ecology, Gender
publication/series
Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science
report number
2023:053
language
English
id
9140409
date added to LUP
2023-10-25 15:33:44
date last changed
2023-10-25 15:33:44
@misc{9140409,
  abstract     = {{Amidst a climate and biodiversity crisis, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources has become imperative. On the Åland Islands, planned large-scale offshore wind farms offer potential economic growth but entail environmental and social impacts. This study investigates the discourses of renewable energy transitions on Åland using a political ecology framework for energy transitions, an energy justice framework, and narrative analysis. We collected data through interviews with local
stakeholders and a literature review of academic papers and the local newspapers.Findings reveal that the energy transition is largely driven by economic growth and profit motives rather than motivation to address the climate crisis. We observed concerns about unequal gender participation in decision-making processes and unawareness or denial of existence of the problem from politicians. The construction of wind farms entails an enclosure of the seabed and land for port development, with potentially adverse environmental impacts. This paper contributes to sustainability science by providing insights into the complexities and challenges of energy transitions on islands.}},
  author       = {{Chu, Moon Hee and Lakota, Miroslav}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  series       = {{Master Thesis Series in Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science}},
  title        = {{Political Ecology of renewable energy transitions on the Åland Islands}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}