Political map for the energy transition
Studies of the energy transition mostly take sides. But they make the scientists' positions and values transparent and thus improve conditions for compromises.
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Most of the studies take a position on the energy transition—and can thus be clearly assigned to the political camps of advocates and skeptics. Scientific findings are used to underpin political narratives and their underlying values. However, the respective positions are usually also transparent, and the arguments of the opposite side are taken into account. For this reason, the studies are—in sum—able to provide differentiated policy advice, illustrating alternatives for the concrete political design and preparing the ground for political compromises.
These are the results of the study "Advocates or cartographers? Scientific advisors and the narratives of German energy transition ". It has just been published by Anna Leipprand and Christian Flachsland from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) together with Michael Pahle from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in the scientific journal "Energy Policy".
The political narratives, which had originally been in conflict with one another, have gradually converged over time. "The studies have supported this process by building bridges between the opposing positions," says lead author Anna Leipprand. "Together, they now form the basis for a kind of political map of the energy transition, which shows different policy paths and their respective consequences against the background of different values."
On the basis of their analysis, the authors also suggest that the accelerating debate on German coal phase-out should become a new focus of scientific policy advice. "The current discussion about the path and—primarily—the speed at which the end of coal should come is very controversial," says Flachsland. "However, if we make explicit the values behind the political proposals, it is easier to find compromises."
The new MCC study is an example of empirical research on the theoretical model of scientific policy advice, which the institute has specifically created for that purpose: the "Pragmatic Enlightened Model" (PEM) assumes that science experts, decision-makers and the society successively learn from each other in a continuous interplay. Together, they can explore alternative policy paths and their chances and risks in order to make social conflicts, synergies and uncertainties transparent, and to present viable political solutions.
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