ENERGY TRANSITION AS A SOCIO-TECHNICAL CHANGE PROCESS INDUCED BY CLIMATE CHANGE

Yıl 2022, , 39 - 55, 26.03.2022

Sırrı Uyanık

https://doi.org/10.46959/jeess.1081232

Öz

Greenhouse gas emissions, that cause global warming and climate change, have been increasing since mid-19th century. To address this problem, thus, in 1988, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established in order to encourage national efforts as well as international cooperation. The Paris Agreement furthermore, aimed to keep the increase of global warming below 1.5 degrees. The energy resources and uses is the main area of such emissions reductions policies, which could only be achieved through Energy Transition. The focus of the discussion in this area, however, have been heavily focused only on CO2 and consequently, policies have been developed mainly to reduce its emissions, despite the fact that there are other greenhouse gases. The same is also true in the area of electricity generation. Transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewables is seen as a panacea, “the single solution”, despite its intermittency and grid connection problems. Additionally, although a fossil fuel with heavy methane content, gas is presented (so-called a bridge fuel). The aim of this paper is to draw attention to the impact of the other potent emissions, contribute to the debate in the right policy, the other sizable sectors other than electricity generation, the nature of the socio-economic factors and the neglected role of local governments and civic initiatives in developing and implementing successful energy transition. Only with such a socio-technical transition perspective and recognizing the relevance and the need of just and equitable energy and climate policies, contribution of a wider part of the economy as well as a broader participation of local communities (from bottom-up via local climate action) can be secured in mitigation of and adaptation to climate change policies globally.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Greenhouse gases, climate change, energy transition, renewable energy, socio-technical change, local governments

Kaynakça

• Aksoy, N., Gok, O. S., Mutlu, H., & Kılınc, G. (19-25 April 2015). CO2 Emission from Geothermal Power Plants in Turkey. Proceedings World Geothermal Congress 2015. Melbourne, Australia.
• Alvarez, R. A., Zavala-Araiza, D., Lyon, D. R., Allen, D. T., Barkley, Z. R., Brandt, A. R., ... & Hamburg, S. P. (2018). Assessment of methane emissions from the US oil and gas supply chain. Science, 361(6398), 186-188.
• British Petroleum (2021). Statistical Review of World Energy. https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.html
• ClimateWatch (2020). Retrieved from: https://www.climatewatchdata.org/embed/ghg-emissions%3FbreakBy%3Dgas%26chartType%3Darea%26end_year%3D2017%26gases%3Dall-ghg%26sectors%3Delectricity-heat%26source%3DCAIT%26start_year%3D1990
• Dahlman, R. L. (2020, August 14). Climate Change: Global Temperature. Retrieved from Climate.gov: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature
• Gielen, D., Boshell, F., Saygin, D., Bazilian, M. D., & Wagner, N. (2019). The role of renewable energy in the global energy transformation. Energy Strategy Reviews, 38-50.
• Held , I. M. and Soden, B. J. ( 2000). Water Vapour Feedback and Global Warming. Annu. Rev. Energy Environ., 25:441–75.
• Hughes, G. (2012). The Performance of Wind Farms in the United Kingdom and Denmark. London: Renewable Energy Foundation.
• IEA (2019). Global Energy & CO2 Status Report 2019. Paris: International Energy Agency (IEA). https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-co2-status-report-2019
• IEA (2020a). Electricity Information 2020. https://www.iea.org/subscribe-to-data-services/electricity-statistics
• IEA (2020b). Global methane emissions from oil and gas. IEA, Paris. https://www.iea.org/articles/global-methane-emissions-from-oil-and-gas
• IEA (2020c). Methane Tracker 2020. IEA, Paris. https://www.iea.org/reports/methane-tracker-2020
• IEA (2021a). Electricity demand outlook in selected regions/countries in the Stated Policies Scenario, 2019-2030, IEA, Paris. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/electricity-demand-outlook-in-selected-regions-countries-in-the-stated-policies-scenario-2019-2030
• IEA (2021b). Change in global electricity generation by source in the Stated Policies Scenario, 2000-2040, IEA, Paris. https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/change-in-global-electricity-generation-by-source-in-the-stated-policies-scenario-2000-2040
• IEA (2021c). World Energy Balances 2020. https://www.iea.org/subscribe-to-data-services/world-energy-balances-and-statistics
• IEA. (2021). IEA World Energy Balances 2020. https://www.iea.org/subscribe-to-data-services/world-energy-balances-and-statistics)
• IPCC. (2020). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved from IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C: https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2018/12/SR15_FAQ_Low_Res.pdf
• Larson, A. (2020, November 2). Understanding California’s Rolling Blackout Problem. Power Magazine. https://www.powermag.com/understanding-californias-rolling-blackout-problem/
• Mills, M. P. (2019). The “New Energy Economy”: An Exercise in Magical Thinking. Manhattan: Manhattan Institute.
• Newbold, A. L. (2011). Estimating the Social Cost of Non-CO2 GHG Emissions:. Washington, DC : U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
• Patel, S. (2020, November 02). JERA Planning to Shift Coal Power Fleet to 100% Ammonia. POWER Digest. https://www.powermag.com/jera-planning-to-shift-coal-power-fleet-to-100-ammonia/
• Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2020). Our World in Data, Emmissions by Sector. https://ourworldindata.org/emissions-by-sector#direct-industrial-processes-5-2
• Romsom, E. and McPhail, K. (2020). The energy transition in Asia Country priorities, fuel types, and energy decisions. WIDER Working Paper 2020/48, 1-49.
• Rowlatt, J. (2021, March 01). How Bitcoin's vast energy use could burst its bubble. Retrieved from BBC NEWS: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-56215787
• Schernikau, L. (2020). The Truth Behind Renewable Energy. International Cement Review, 1-5.
• Styring, P., Jansen, D., de Coninck, H., Reith, H., & Armstrong, K. (2011). Carbon Capture and Utilisation in the green economy Using CO2 to manufacture fuel, chemicals and materials. The Centre for Low Carbon Futures 2011 and CO2Chem Publishing 2012.
• U.S. Energy Information Administration (2016 , February 2). Carbon Dioxide Emissions Coefficients. https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/co2_vol_mass.php
• UNFCCC (2021). Retrieved from Global Warming Potentials (IPCC Second Assessment Report): https://unfccc.int/process/transparency-and-reporting/greenhouse-gas-data/greenhouse-gas-data-unfccc/global-warming-potentials
• Watkins, T. (2020, 11 26). Retrieved from Saturation, Nonlinearity and Overlap: https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/radiativeff2.htm#:~:text=A%20diligent%20search%20of%20sources,on%20the%20climate%20see%20Water