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The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

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  • Karoliina Isoaho
  • Jochen Markard

Abstract

The decline of carbon intensive technologies is a key element in the ongoing energy transition and our attempts to tackle climate change. At the same time, our understanding of technology decline and of the associated policies and politics is still limited. This paper builds on the sustainability transitions perspective, a novel approach to analyze socio‐technical transformation, including the complex interplay of policy and technology change. We study the decline of coal‐fired power generation in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2017 by analyzing the discourse in The Guardian. We find scientists and environmental NGOs criticizing coal for climate and health reasons. Government and incumbent businesses tried to re‐legitimate coal but eventually, their resistance collapsed and coal was almost completely abandoned in just a few years. Particularly devastating for coal were failed promises around carbon capture and storage, rapid diffusion of wind energy, and pressure from various policies. This study contributes to better understanding the contested nature of decline, and the interplay of discursive struggles, technology change, and public policy in sustainability transitions. 碳密集型技术衰退是正在进行的能源转型、和我们为应对气候变化所做的尝试中的一个关键要素。同时，我们对技术衰退和相关政策及政治的理解还有限。本文基于可持续性转型视角的新颖方法，分析包括政策与技术变革的复杂相互影响在内的社会‐技术转型。我们通过分析《卫报》中的话语，研究了2000年至2017年间燃煤发电的衰退。我们发现，科学家和环境非政府组织因气候和健康原因对燃煤进行批判。政府和负有责任的企业试图对燃煤再合法化，但最后以失败告终，燃煤仅在几年间便几乎被完全放弃使用。对燃煤而言最具摧毁性的则是碳捕捉和储存方面的失败承诺、风能的快速扩散、以及不同政策带来的压力。本文促进理解了受争议的技术衰退本质、以及可持续性转型中话语争夺、技术变革和公共政策之间的相互影响。 El declive de las tecnologías intensivas en carbono es un elemento clave en la transición energética en curso y nuestros intentos de abordar el cambio climático. Al mismo tiempo, nuestra comprensión del declive tecnológico y de las políticas y políticas asociadas sigue siendo limitada. Este documento se basa en la perspectiva de las transiciones de sostenibilidad, un enfoque novedoso para analizar la transformación socio‐técnica, que incluye la compleja interacción del cambio de políticas y tecnología. Estudiamos la disminución de la generación de energía a carbón en el Reino Unido de 2000 a 2017 analizando el discurso en The Guardian. Encontramos científicos y ONG ambientales que critican el carbón por razones climáticas y de salud. El gobierno y las empresas establecidas intentaron volver a legitimar el carbón, pero finalmente, su resistencia colapsó y el carbón fue abandonado casi por completo en solo unos pocos años. Particularmente devastadores para el carbón fueron las promesas fallidas en torno a la captura y almacenamiento de carbono, la rápida difusión de la energía eólica y la presión de varias políticas. Este estudio contribuye a comprender mejor la naturaleza controvertida del declive y la interacción de las luchas discursivas, el cambio tecnológico y las políticas públicas en las transiciones de sostenibilidad.

Suggested Citation

  • Karoliina Isoaho & Jochen Markard, 2020. "The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(3), pages 342-368, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:revpol:v:37:y:2020:i:3:p:342-368
    DOI: 10.1111/ropr.12370
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    1. Daniel Weiss & Philipp Scherer, 2021. "Mapping the Territorial Adaptation of Technological Innovation Systems—Trajectories of the Internal Combustion Engine," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Weiss, Daniel & Nemeczek, Fabian, 2021. "A text-based monitoring tool for the legitimacy and guidance of technological innovation systems," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    3. Christoph H. Stefes & Carol Hager, 2020. "Resistance to Energy Transitions," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(3), pages 286-291, May.
    4. Apostolos Tranoulidis & Rafaella-Eleni P. Sotiropoulou & Kostas Bithas & Efthimios Tagaris, 2022. "Decarbonization and Transition to the Post-Lignite Era: Analysis for a Sustainable Transition in the Region of Western Macedonia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-16, August.
    5. Faber, Hugo, 2023. "How does falling incumbent profitability affect energy policy discourse? The discursive construction of nuclear phaseouts and insufficient capacity as a threat in Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    6. Yanguas Parra, Paola & Hauenstein, Christian & Oei, Pao-Yu, 2021. "The death valley of coal – Modelling COVID-19 recovery scenarios for steam coal markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    7. Ergen, Timur & Schmitz, Luuk, 2023. "The sunshine problem: Climate change and managed decline in the European Union," MPIfG Discussion Paper 23/6, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.

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