In the transition towards decarbonization, structural changes in the delivery of energy services need to bolster social equality and mobility. The role of citizens to help realize such an ambitious goal has been acknowledged. Yet, which citizens to involve in this process, how to do so fairly and effectively, and when to involve them remain largely questions whose answers remain unclear to both academic experts and policymakers. The overall vision of the Energy Citizens for Inclusive Decarbonization (ENCLUDE) is to help the EU to fulfill its promise of a just and inclusive decarbonization pathway through sharing and co-creating new knowledge and practices that maximize the number and diversity of citizens who are willing and able to contribute to the energy transition. ENCLUDE is dedicated not only to the co-creation of new knowledge with stakeholders about the emergence and consolidation of energy citizenship but also to the uptake of this knowledge to mobilize action for decarbonization, taking into account the interests and struggles of diverse citizen groups, including communities, who are not usually invited or expected to participate in these civil processes. ENCLUDE takes inter-and transdisciplinary, mixed methods and iterative approach to reaching its goals to support decarbonization efforts in Europe and is concerned with knowledge that creates change (also known as “transformative knowledge”), rather than knowledge-focused only on deeper understanding (although this is also necessary as a starting point). With the objective to create change through inclusive decarbonization pathways, our research confronts the real world, which is much more complex than any bounded conditions of a laboratory or a model.

Budget: ~3.1 Μ. Euros

Duration: 2021-2024

More information: https://encludeproject.eu/

The project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No 101022791.