Energy, Sustainability and Society最新文献

{"title":"Barriers and drivers of participation in energy communities: towards inclusive energy communities in Norway and Denmark","authors":"Pariman Boostani,&nbsp;Giuseppe Pellegrini-Masini,&nbsp;Jørgen Klein","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00584-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00584-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>European countries have implemented strategies to improve energy resilience, such as promoting local energy supplies through energy communities. In this study, we explore the barriers and drivers that affect vulnerable individuals’ and groups’ participation in energy community projects in Norway and Denmark, as well as the factors influencing the development of inclusive energy communities. There is an interplay between the two objectives: the implementation and development of inclusive energy communities require, among other things, strategies to minimise barriers and amplify drivers for the participation of vulnerable individuals and groups.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>A qualitative approach was employed, starting with twenty interviews as a pilot study and progressing to thirty-four semi-structured interviews with project leaders, community members, and local authorities in four energy communities. Then, an online workshop was held among selected energy communities and policy stakeholders to exchange experiences and policy recommendations to facilitate the development of such projects. As a result, several key enablers have been identified, such as community engagement, fair participation, a sense of belonging, environmental behaviours, motivations, and awareness of energy communities. Conversely, barriers such as inadequate supportive policies, language, financial burdens, and a lack of trust in the project plan can hinder vulnerable individuals’ and groups’ participation in energy communities.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The findings offer several recommendations, including the need for financial support, clear policy definitions regarding energy vulnerability and energy poverty, and specific legislation to ensure the participation of vulnerable groups in energy communities. Additionally, the researchers suggest forming partnerships to develop these energy communities, creating multilingual platforms to enhance public knowledge, and sharing stories and risk assessments throughout the process. These steps aim to foster inclusive energy communities and facilitate the development of related projects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00584-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147829625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of geopolitical risks from the Russian Federation and the Middle East on carbon and energy inequalities in Europe","authors":"Sakine Owjimehr,&nbsp;Mehdi Emami Meybodi,&nbsp;Zeinab Yadegar","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00582-y","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00582-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, geopolitical events have had a significant impact on global energy markets, particularly on oil prices. The Russian Federation and Middle Eastern countries are major energy producers, and when tensions rise in these regions, it has a worldwide impact on energy systems. European countries are heavily reliant on energy imports from these regions, making them particularly vulnerable to geopolitical risks. The study poses a key question: do geopolitical risks not only disrupt energy markets, but also exacerbate energy and carbon inequalities between countries? There are significant differences in energy access and carbon emissions across European nations, alongside ongoing political tensions involving the Russian Federation and the Middle East. This combination forms the foundation of our research. We employed statistical models known as Mean Group and Pooled Mean Group, utilizing an Auto Regressive Distributed Lag framework, to analyze the impact of political risks on these two forms of inequality. Our analysis covers 30 years of data, from 1993 to 2022, allowing us to capture major political events and see how they impact Europe’s energy situation.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Geopolitical risks from the Russian Federation and the Middle East have a stronger influence on energy and carbon inequalities than global geopolitical risks. Furthermore, geopolitical threats—capturing risk-related tensions such as war, military buildup, and nuclear risks—have a stronger and more persistent impact on European energy inequality than geopolitical acts, which reflect realized events such as conflicts and terrorism. The consumption of renewable energy has been shown to have different effects over time: it helps to reduce energy inequality in the short term, but contributes to increased inequality in the long term. Carbon and energy inequality respond in a similar way to the research variables.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>While renewable energy consumption has been shown to reduce inequality in the short term, disparities in infrastructure across European countries have been identified as a key driver of long-term inequality. Consequently, European countries should expand the development of renewable energy as a short-term geopolitical risk mitigation strategy while simultaneously investing in infrastructure harmonization.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00582-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147829517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of the adoption of alternative fuel vehicles for decarbonizing road transport in the UAE","authors":"Issa Zaiter,&nbsp;Hajar Alshehhi,&nbsp;Ahmad Mayyas,&nbsp;Raed Jaradat","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00579-7","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00579-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The transport sector in the United Arab Emirates is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions due to its high reliance on conventional fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. With the national commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, there is a pressing need to evaluate the potential of alternative technologies such as electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In this study, a system dynamics model is used to forecast vehicle adoption and associated emissions under four future policy pathways.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>In the reference pathway, where only conventional vehicles remain dominant, annual carbon dioxide emissions are projected to rise to 54 million tons by 2050. The introduction of electric vehicles moderately reduces emissions, resulting in a decrease of up to 18 million tons compared to the reference case. As the electricity supply becomes progressively decarbonized, further reductions are achieved, resulting in emissions of 34 million tons by mid-century. The most ambitious pathway combines the large-scale deployment of electric vehicles with that of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, supported by a cleaner electricity grid. By 2050, it is anticipated that electric vehicles will account for half of the market, while fuel cell vehicles will make up 17%. This combined strategy has resulted in a significant reduction in annual emissions, with a decrease of 27 million tons, and a substantial decrease in gasoline demand, by more than 60%. Furthermore, the strategy has led to the creation of a new electricity demand, amounting to 10.7 TWh per year, and a hydrogen demand, reaching 0.11 million tons per year.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The findings show that achieving substantial emission reductions in the United Arab Emirates transport sector requires a combined approach that encompasses the accelerated adoption of electric and hydrogen-based vehicles, while concurrently decarbonizing electricity generation and hydrogen production. Early policy action, investment in charging and refueling infrastructure, and technological readiness are essential to align transport transformation with the national net-zero target.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00579-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modeling residential energy systems and building renovation using evolutionary algorithms with multi-objective optimization","authors":"Henrik Lukas Naß,&nbsp;Jannis Bela Grunenberg,&nbsp;Fares Aoun,&nbsp;Marius Bartkowski,&nbsp;Arjuna Nebel","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00581-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00581-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The residential building sector is a major contributor to Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions. Over 60 % of the energy used for space and domestic hot water heating comes from fossil fuels sources and remains the predominant energy choice in this sector. In order to achieve greenhouse gas emission targets, it is imperative to develop new energy systems for buildings. Energy system modeling is an effective tool for evaluating different energy systems. The evaluation process should encompass an analysis of both costs and greenhouse gas emissions, with the aim of minimizing the two objectives in order to identify suitable energy systems. As these goals are anticipated to conflict with each other, a multi-objective optimization approach is employed.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>This study simulates a multifamily residential building constructed in Germany prior to 1918. The energy system comprises: - photovoltaic-thermal roof tiles; - a battery energy storage system; - an air source heat pump; - a warm water storage; - a natural gas boiler with the option of replacement by a hydrogen-fueled boiler; - an energy management software for the electric vehicle battery. In addition, optimization enables the selection of six distinct energy renovation measures. AGE-MOEA, an evolutionary algorithm, is used for multi-objective optimization with the objectives being a reduction in total annual system costs and carbon dioxide (<span>(hbox {CO}_{2})</span>) emissions. The resulting Pareto front provides an optimized range of solutions, each with a specific system design, ranging from 49 to 116 €/(m²a) for annuity costs and 74 to 4 kg/(m²a) for annual <span>(hbox {CO}_{2})</span> emissions.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The outcomes of the proposed model demonstrate an appropriate representation of the expected behavior of a real-world energy system. The first step in the resulting energy system configurations can be classified as ’business as usual’. The second lowest cost option is characterized by self-sufficiency, offering a balanced trade-off between costs and <span>(hbox {CO}_{2})</span> emissions, as well as hydrogen heating to minimize <span>(hbox {CO}_{2})</span> emissions. While increased levels of renovation were observed to contribute to a reduction in <span>(hbox {CO}_{2})</span> emissions, the cost reduction does not offset the respective investment costs. Consequently, in the analysed example case, it can be inferred that improving energy efficiency through renovation only offsets associated costs if fuel prices are rising.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00581-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147797173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What is stopping Canada from unlocking the potential of renewable energy cooperatives? Critical insights from co-op leaders","authors":"Raisa Rahman,&nbsp;Philippe Marcoul,&nbsp;John Parkins","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00583-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00583-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The development of renewable energy cooperatives (RECs) in Canada is inhibited by regulatory and financial challenges that limit their ability to contribute to the country’s renewable energy transition. Despite the growing importance of community-based energy resources, current policies favour large-scale, investor-owned utilities, creating barriers for smaller, community-driven projects like RECs. While existing research has examined these challenges through policy analysis, case studies, and market data, few studies have directly incorporated the perspectives of REC leaders themselves. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the barriers confronting Canadian renewable energy cooperatives through the lived experiences of REC leaders. It further proposes actionable solutions informed by the insights of these leaders. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research combines in-depth interviews with 15 REC leaders across five provinces and Likert scale analysis.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Thematic analysis revealed that regulatory complexities, such as restrictions on virtual net metering (VNM) and limited access to financial mechanisms, inflate costs, delay timelines, and restrict market access for RECs. Participants proposed policy-oriented solutions, including adopting VNM, government-backed loan guarantees, direct loans, long-term financial incentives, and expanding community financing tools like bonds.</p><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This study integrates REC leaders’ perspectives into actionable recommendations, emphasizing the need for targeted reforms to align provincial policies with REC needs. Addressing these challenges can enhance REC scalability, reduce policy uncertainty, and support Canada’s net-zero goals through community-driven renewable energy initiatives.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00583-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148237368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of public actors in financing the development of offshore wind projects in the North Sea","authors":"Gerrit Rentier,&nbsp;Herman Lelieveldt,&nbsp;Gert Jan Kramer","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00580-0","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00580-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>In Europe, the development of offshore wind power plays a key role in the energy transition. Much research into the conditions for this development in European countries focuses on policy instruments. However, the role of the financing options available for offshore wind power projects has received much less attention. What is the role of public financial actors when it comes to actual investments in offshore wind power, and what is the role of private financial actors? What were their respective roles in the early, experimental phase of the technology, compared to the later growth phase when the technology was rolled out at an increasingly rapid pace under ever more competitive market conditions?</p><h3>Results</h3><p>We analysed annual investments in offshore wind power between 1990 and 2020 based on the type of financing (public versus private) using the categorisation by Mazzucato and Semieniuk. We found that between 1990 and 2005, 86% of the offshore wind project development in the North Sea Basin was supported by financing by public actors, while 14% was supported by stock market capital. Between 2006 and 2020, however, 60% was funded by private investors and 40% by public actors. Of the six largest offshore wind power developers, the first four to grow their offshore wind installed base were fully or partially under public ownership.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our research demonstrates that financing by public actors has been crucial for the earliest development phase of this new, innovative, capital-intensive low-carbon energy technology. This finding is relevant for similar sustainable innovations that are still in the prototype or demonstration phase or have not yet reached large-scale commercial application, such as the production of green hydrogen through electrolysers. The role of public actors in financing as a key facilitator for the start of technology life cycles seems at odds with the drive for privatisation in many countries. The data patterns from our research provide information on the strategies and scenarios developed by stakeholders who want to accelerate the energy transition. Our conclusions serve as an example of the challenges arising from complex interactions between socio-economic processes, such as privatisation, versus sustainable development ambitions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00580-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148172862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy efficiency as an underrated key lever for industrial decarbonisation data from 106 on-site efficiency assessments in the non-energy-intensive manufacturing industry","authors":"Nicolas Oliver Marx,&nbsp;Christian Schützenhofer","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00576-w","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00576-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The IEA has described energy efficiency as the ‘first fuel’ in the clean energy transition. Although improvements in energy intensity (i.e. energy use per unit of economic output) averaged 0.8% per year between 2000 and 2010, and 1.7% between 2010 and 2020, rebound effects often negate these gains. While the literature suggests a much higher potential of 15–22%, these studies are either bottom-up analyses of individual industries or cross-sectional, top-down assessments. Systematic bottom-up assessments remain scarce, particularly in non-energy-intensive sectors. This study addresses this gap by analysing 106 standardised, on-site, technology-based energy assessments conducted between 2015 and 2024 in sixteen non-energy-intensive industrial sectors. Potentials were identified by comparing the equipment in place with the best available technology, providing a bottom-up estimate of the efficiency gap. These potentials were then grouped into categories to facilitate comparison with the literature.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>All audited sites showed an average potential for economic energy efficiency improvement of 17%, equivalent to 303 GWh per year of energy savings. The largest contributions came from heat recovery (4.2% points) and process optimisation (3.8% points). Heat recovery, either directly or via heat pumps, proved to be the most significant lever for reducing CO₂ emissions.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our data suggest a larger economic energy efficiency potential than is generally recognised in the literature, and support various studies that have identified an ‘efficiency gap’. The economic analyses we performed for each potential option further support this. However, in line with the existing literature, we confirm that high discounting and a shortage of skilled personnel required for implementation are the two main hurdles. By conducting a more in-depth analysis than previous studies and comparing actual energy use with both minimum physical requirements and the best available technology, we expand the scope and depth of the literature’s findings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00576-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148008722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling and simulation of a wind-driven pumping system for water distribution networks","authors":"Ahmed AbuElwan,&nbsp;Hassan Mansour,&nbsp;Yahia M. Fouda","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00575-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00575-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Providing a reliable water supply to remote, off-grid communities is a significant challenge in arid and semi-arid regions due to the high cost of extending the electrical infrastructure. Although wind energy offers a sustainable option, conventional wind-electric systems often require high maintenance and result in energy conversion losses. The aim of this study is to model and evaluate a mechanically coupled wind pumping system as a cost-effective and robust alternative for residential water distribution in such environments.</p><h3>Methods</h3><p>A comprehensive mathematical model was developed to simulate the dynamic performance of a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) mechanically coupled to a centrifugal pump via a gearbox. The system was designed to lift water from a surface water source to a storage tank, thereby overcoming the intermittency of wind power. The simulation integrated the blade element momentum (BEM) theory for the turbine and affinity laws for the pump. A dynamic simulation was conducted using the hourly wind and water demand data for a case study in Ras Gharib, Egypt. In order to identify the optimal configuration for water reliability, two turbine design strategies were compared: Method A, which prioritized minimizing the starting wind speed, and Method B, which prioritized maximizing the aerodynamic efficiency.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The simulation results showed that coupling the turbine and the pump directly would effectively meet the community’s water demand. However, the parametric analysis revealed a trade-off between reliability and efficiency; some configurations achieved a water demand fulfillment rate of up to 99.7%, while others reached a peak efficiency of 37%, which were associated with varying design constraints. When using Method B to balance performance metrics, the optimal configuration achieved 89.6% demand fulfillment and 32% efficiency with a compact 2.3 m turbine radius. The sensitivity analysis further revealed that the reliability of the system is most sensitive to the sizing of the hydraulic load, particularly the diameter of the pipeline and the design speed of the pump.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This study confirms that mechanical wind pumping systems are a viable, sustainable solution for off-grid water distribution. The developed model provides a valuable planning tool that helps engineers and policymakers size and optimize the infrastructure in remote areas for potential agricultural and mixed-use applications.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00575-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147642314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic emission reduction effect of carbon emission trading and green finance markets: evidence from 46 Chinese cities","authors":"Xiufan Zhang,&nbsp;Zhongju Liao","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00577-9","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00577-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The global imperative to mitigate climate change requires a transition towards sustainable, low-carbon economies, with market-based mechanisms playing a pivotal role. Carbon emission trading (CET) and green finance (GF) markets have emerged as critical instruments for incentivizing emission reductions and financing sustainable transitions. However, existing research often examines these markets in isolation, leaving a significant gap in understanding their synergistic governance and combined effectiveness. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the joint carbon reduction mechanisms enabled by CET and GF market interaction. We investigate how these markets, from both market-signaling and technological-innovation perspectives, collaboratively influence emission outcomes, thereby incorporating economic, technological, and environmental sustainability dimensions into climate governance analysis.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>Using a systematic Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) model and panel data from 46 cities across eight pilot regions of China’s CET markets (2013–2019), this study provides robust empirical evidence on collaborative emission reduction. Findings show that both CET and GF independently suppress carbon emissions. CET operates through price signals incentivizing cost-effective abatement, while GF channels capital toward green technological innovation. Crucially, the study identifies a powerful synergy: these markets jointly foster industrial intelligent technology—enhancing energy efficiency and optimizing production processes—to support emission reduction. Moreover, environmental information disclosure positively moderates the GF-emissions relationship by reducing information asymmetry and enhancing market discipline.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This research elucidates the theoretical and empirical pathways through which CET and GF interact to advance low-carbon technology and reduce emissions—a nexus previously underexplored. Achieving deep decarbonization requires well-functioning markets and policies that enhance their synergistic coupling. We recommend refining CET mechanisms to ensure robust price signals while accelerating GF market development to unlock innovation capital. Integrating industrial intelligent technology is essential to maximize joint emission reduction effects. The study provides a theoretical and empirical foundation for designing integrated policy frameworks and market mechanisms crucial for achieving carbon neutrality, highlighting the interconnectedness of financial, environmental, and technological sustainability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00577-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147938699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chile’s role in the global energy transition: critical minerals, geopolitics and socioenvironmental challenges","authors":"Axel Bastián Poque González,&nbsp;Yunesky Masip Macia,&nbsp;Suleivys M. Nuñez,&nbsp;Ernesto Pino-Cortés,&nbsp;Lorena Bearzotti","doi":"10.1186/s13705-026-00573-z","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13705-026-00573-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><p>The global energy transition relies on the availability of critical minerals, a significant proportion of which are found in Latin America. This raises important questions about the dependency experienced by mineral-producing countries in the region and its implications for global geopolitical power. This study, based on dependency theory, focuses on Chile. As a major global producer of critical minerals, Chile is an ideal case for investigating the interplay between mineral exploitation, the development and deployment of renewable energy, socioenvironmental conflicts and economic imbalances. An interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative analyses examines Chile’s economic structure, its position in the international arena and the socioenvironmental implications of mineral extraction.</p><h3>Results</h3><p>The findings reveal an inherent paradox of the energy transition. The primary goal is to promote decarbonisation, mitigate climate change and transition to sustainable socioenvironmental practices. However, under the current patterns of the global economy, this process risks exacerbating local socioenvironmental issues in countries that produce minerals. Furthermore, it may fail to generate substantial economic value within clean technology-related supply chains in peripheral regions. The role of peripheral regions tends to be limited to supplying critical minerals for the production of technology in core economies. Resource-exporting nations face intricate trade-offs as key players in the energy transition due to their unequal socioenvironmental, economic and technological contexts.</p><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Copper extraction plays a central role in the Chilean economy. The energy transition has triggered an increase in mining activities, which could pose new significant socioenvironmental risks and perpetuate technological disparities between core and peripheral countries. To address these challenges, long-term policies must focus on diversifying the Chilean economy, strengthening the cleantech production chain and improving governance. Collaborating with other countries at a regional level could accelerate Chile’s technological progress.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":539,"journal":{"name":"Energy, Sustainability and Society","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s13705-026-00573-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147830145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}