Energy for Future

About the project

Energy for Future is a thematic research group aimed at co-designing a fair, participatory, and speedy energy transition in Norway with young people. The project brings together expertise in social and climate psychology, political science, energy systems modeling, and material sciences to study how carefully-drafted workshops can help young people understand complex systems, think critically and develop informed opinions about the path forward with renewable energy. We will also make the voices of the youth participating in the workshops heard in the political debate.

Objectives

Energy for Future aims to answer the question: What energy systems do young Norwegians envision for their future? To answer this question we will develop, conduct and evaluate an intervention tool, in the form of workshops on the energy transition for youth, aged 16-18. 

Outcomes

We develop workshops together with youth, adapted to the needs of the schools, in Norwegian or English, either as a full-day workshop or spread out over a longer period of time. We will run at least six interactive workshops. 

In addition, we will survey the students twice and compare knowledge and opinions prior to the workshops with those after the workshops and with a waiting control group who will receive the workshop in the following school year. 

We will publish scientific articles on our conclusions regarding the suitability of such workshops for engaging high school students in the political processes about renewable energy plans. We will also present our findings to the participating schools and disseminate our conclusions to politicians and the media. 

Background

Almost 30 years ago, Donella Meadows (1994) urged people working for a green transition to start with the establishment of clear, feasible, socially shared goals. What do we want? What is our vision of the world we are trying to create for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren? She warned that without such a vision, environmental policies would not gain much traction. And although her talk inspired futurizing activities and vision workshops in academic and business contexts, the effects of working on shared goals for the future energy system with the affected population has not yet been investigated. In the Fridays for future movement, youth strike because they feel responsible for and threatened by the climate crisis. Coping through meaning making, connection to nature and empowerment are possible pathways towards reducing climate anxiety among youth. Empowerment through knowledge and political participation can generate hope and interest. Youth tend to be more positive towards renewable energy than older people, yet not much is known about how they weigh different options against each other and what they envision for their region.  

Financing

Energy for future is funded by UiO:Energi og Miljø for the period from 2023 to 2025. 

Cooperation

The project has an advisory board with complementary expertise. The advisory board reviews and gives feedback on plans, results and conclusions.