Just energy transitions and carbon emission: The role of energy culture framework

Traditional energy transitions (TET) have long centered on techno-economic solutions, often overlooking justice aspects. This neglect has led to uneven cost - benefit distributions, undermining the sustainability of such transitions. As an alternative approach, just energy transitions (JET) embed multiple justice dimensions (distributive, procedural, restorative, recognition) into decarbonization frameworks to reconcile climate goals and social inclusion. However, three critical gaps remain unclear and lack empirical validation: (1) whether JET demonstrates superior emission reduction advantages compared to TET; (2) the varying mitigation impacts across different JET dimensions; and (3) the mediating role of energy culture within JET's decarbonization processes. Using panel data from 81 economies, this study uncovers three significant findings. First, JET clearly exhibit comparative advantages in emission reduction compared to TET. Second, a dimensional analysis shows that distributive justice and procedural justice play substantial roles in decarbonization, while the impact of restorative justice is statistically insignificant. Third, energy culture serves as a key mediator in JET's mitigation mechanisms. Material culture and practices independently mediate emission reductions, and norms only have significant mediating effects when interacting with either material culture or practices. This indicates a compensatory rather than additive relationship among cultural dimensions. These results offer robust evidence for the superiority of JET in achieving decarbonization and underscore the importance of incorporating energy culture into policy frameworks.