Energy transition and sustainable development

Mitigating climate change will require significant shifts in global energy systems. However, ramping up energy transitions can create conflicts and unintended consequences on environment and societies both locally and globally. This course approaches energy transitions from multiple perspectives to excavate the opportunities and barriers of different transition strategies for sustainable development. Students will learn how to draw upon different sources and methods to identify and explain the unintended consequences of energy transitions.

Topics that will be addressed in the course can include, but is not limited to:

• Sustainable and just transitions for oil and gas dependent communities
• Windpower, conflict, and community planning
• Extracting resources for the green transition and participatory governance
• Biofuels, land-use, and contested development

The course is a subject area course for programmes within the study area social sciences. Check the programme description for each study programme for information about requirements.

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge:

Has an understanding of the geography of energy systems and energy transitions and how energy transitions in one place impact livelihoods, environment, and conflicts in other places. Furthermore, students will learn how specific measures can be implemented to mitigate negative consequences and ensure that energy transitions are sustainable and just.

Skills:

Is able to address and critically discuss the impacts of sustainable transitions in an interconnected world using different resources and how to implement measures that can mitigate these impacts.

General Competence:

Has the ability to utilize different resources to identify, examine, and analyze dilemmas, conflicts, and contestations surrounding green energy transitions and evaluate different measures that can be used to ensure that energy transitions are sustainable, equitable, and just.

Up to 15 hours lectures and in-class activities. In addition, the course will consist of multiple "working packages" related to different topics that can include, but is not limited to, online lectures, virtual fieldwork, databanks, research articles, newspaper clippings, online resources, and other materials which will serve for the basis for study in groups.