Energy Transition and Climate Change in the Contemporary Urban Era. A Sociological Point of View

Abstract

The aim of this work is to describe what urban sociology can offer in addressing one of the challenges perceived as most urgent for contemporary cities on a global level: the energy problem and its consequences referring to climate change. The issues relating to the energy transition have, in recent decades, acquired wide importance within a multitude of debates, both academic and political. The reflections on the energy question and climate change are characterized by a multitude of possible epistemologies, scientific approaches and methodological tools and the dialogue between these different voices is not always easy. If ecological and energy problems constitute a harsh reality, from a sociological point of view, it is very important to highlight the multiplicity and heterogeneity of the positions and arguments of experts, politicians, activists and other subjects. The interpretations of environmental problems are built by complex assemblages of material elements on the one hand, and by social constructions on the other. This study will focus on the energy transition in relation to the theories developed within urban sociology and urban studies. In particular, the energy-environmental question will be addressed considering its eminently urban dimension, its position in a socio-cultural scenario marked by the economic crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the multiplicity of possible epistemologies that can be used in the construction and interpretation of the problem, and the reflection on socio-energetic justice.

Keywords

• urban sociology
• cities
• climate change