Final report

The project's final report is now available HERE.

Summary

The energy transition and climate crisis require a new ways of producing and consuming over the world. In 2017, Switzerland, together with 192 other countries and the EU, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Paris Agreement. With the Climate and Innovation Act, the country has set itself clearly defined reduction paths for the buildings, transport and industry sectors. The bottom line is that Switzerland should become climate-neutral by 2050. Energy scenarios such as the Energy Perspectives 2050+ (Prognos AG et al., 2020) show how this goal can be achieved. Many energy scenarios aim to describe the technical possibilities in the energy system with which the net-zero emissions target can be achieved. Few integrate lifestyle changes and sufficiency considerations. There are also no explicit descriptions of how people will live and consume in 2050. For example, it is not clear to citizens how energy requirements can be reduced by changing everyday practices. What is important to people is not the energy itself, but the services that energy provides, and how these services create opportunity to lead a good life. The main objective of the project is to understand how energy scenarios relate to human well-being and everyday life in Switzerland in order to engage consumers and citizens in a more sustainable energy future. Based on different energy scenarios for Switzerland, three main questions will be addressed: 1. How can energy pathways be translated into everyday life situations, accessible and relatable to diverse Swiss consumer-citizens? 2. How can positive and negative trade-offs between energy saving and wellbeing be quantified and qualified, while accounting for rebound effects? 3. How do Swiss citizens imagine a transition to sustainable energy futures in relation to everyday lives and wellbeing?

Our contribution is methodological, empirical and of interest to public policy. The report presents the main results of workshops, which brought together 154 participants (citizens, workers, energy service providers, etc.) and enabled in-depth discussions on the energy transition from the point of view of everyday dynamics and well-being. Three types of contribution from the project are developed in this report. Firstly, the methodological and conceptual contribution: the in-depth discussions held during the workshops led citizens to engage in debates on the energy transition and to ask themselves whether the changes made to everyday life and the resulting energy savings are worthwhile, when it comes to satisfying human needs. The contribution is also empirical: the results of the workshop highlight the collective changes that need to take place today to support an energy transition that takes account of human well-being in the future. Not all citizens need to change their consumption in the same way and it is relevant to differentiate the potential for energy savings by income quintile. The political contribution of the project is also highlighted: the results of the workshops show the importance of collective and institutional changes, which would facilitate changes in everyday practices. Such changes must also account for questions of social justice, as not all people consume the same way today, depending on income quintile, and not all people have the same resources necessary for bringing about change.