En Route to a Just Global Energy Transformation?

How much formative power do the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Agenda 2030 have as an international framework for the global energy transformation? In this study, Wuppertal Institute's Lukas Hermwille analyses both agendas and shows their complementaries. The study shows that a focus on innovative approaches for the extension of renewable energies does not suffice. To meet the 2 °C or even the 1,5 °C goal, it's not enough to just wait for coal, oil and gas to become obsolete; instead, it's necessary to actively shape the withdrawal from fossil fuels politically. Therefore, this study recommends "exnovation" policies that include those parties that potentially lose in the energy transformation in order to prevent resistance and thus enable withdrawing from fossil fuels both in time and in a socially just manner.

The translated study, commissioned by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, is available for free download.