Conceptualizing and Understanding Resistance against Energy Policy and Technology (CURE)

As the world pushes toward a greener future, the shift in energy systems often brings unintended consequences. While the green transition is essential to combat climate change, it inevitably creates winners and losers. This, in turn, fuels various forms of resistance. The CURE project aims to understand and conceptualize different forms of resistance that arise in response to energy transitions, delving into the reasons behind opposition and the social dynamics that shape it. Resistance to the green shift comes from a wide range of concerns and life situations. Technologies like wind turbines, electric cars, toll roads, and smart meters often become focal points for opposition. For some, a wind farm might disrupt their local environment, while others see toll roads as unfair financial burdens. These reactions reflect diverse values and interests. Importantly, this resistance is expressed in many forms. Some people engage in peaceful protests and public debates, while others may resort to more extreme or anti-democratic expressions. The resistance spans a spectrum, from legitimate and necessary concerns to misinformation and hostility. Energy transitions often involve large-scale changes that can alienate certain groups if their voices are not heard or considered. Understanding this resistance is crucial for ensuring that the green shift is not just environmentally sustainable but also socially just and democratic. CURE aims to provide a deeper understanding of these dynamics, and the complex landscape of resistance. By creating a framework to conceptualize this opposition, CURE seeks to contribute to a more inclusive, just and democratic approach to energy policy. Despite the important contributions of various academic disciplines, CURE argues that an integrated approach to studying resistance to energy transitions is still missing. To fill this gap, the project applies a mix of theoretical and methodological tools, drawing on surveys, literature reviews, media analysis, interviews and utilization of existing datasets. Although the empirical focus is largely on Norway, the findings have relevance on an international scale. Behind the CURE project is a consortium of researchers selected for their diverse expertise, methodological skills, and strong track record of collaboration. Their combined experience allows them to approach the complexities of energy transition resistance from multiple angles. Together, they aim to foster a smoother and more democratic green shift, ensuring that the benefits of a sustainable future are shared by all.

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Energy transitions are changing society in fundamental ways. Norwegian and EU related efforts rely on the development and uptake of policies, technologies and infrastructures with the objective of extensive carbon emissions reduction. Yet, energy transitions involve not only changes in the production, distribution and consumption of energy but significant social and behavioural transformations as well that may question our understandings of democracy. There is consensus that in order for these measures to be efficient and successfully implemented they must be accepted by the public. However, despite the scholarly and practitioners focus on acceptance, active resistance towards low carbon policies and technologies seems to be increasingly widespread and visible at all societal levels. Resistance to energy technologies and policies is not a homogenous nor simple phenomenon. It may have multiple origins and is operating on different levels: from the single individual to highly organised efforts involving numerous people, from local initiatives to global mass gatherings. Furthermore, it may comprise a great variety of voices, concerns, forms, material artefacts, practices and effects. Today, these dimensions are growing increasingly entangled, as local resistance might see themselves as part of broader collectives and global struggles. Furthermore, internet is opening for now possibilities for articulations of resistance, and even radicalising it. The situation calls for a more applicable concept of resistance and empirical research that offers a more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon. CURE aims to (1) produce systemic, research-based knowledge of active resistance against low-carbon transitions (energy policy and technology). (2)Contribute to the development and implementation of more socially sustainable and democratic pathways to low carbon societies.