DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2016.1179616
Scopus记录号: 2-s2.0-84977577279
论文题名: Nuclear energy and path dependence in Europe’s ‘Energy union’: coherence or continued divergence?
作者: Lawrence A ; , Sovacool B ; , Stirling A
刊名: Climate Policy
ISSN: 1469-3062
EISSN: 1752-7457
出版年: 2016
卷: 16, 期: 5 起始页码: 622
结束页码: 641
语种: 英语
英文关键词: energy systems
; governance
; nuclear energy
; path dependency
; post-materialism
Scopus关键词: alternative energy
; energy conservation
; energy policy
; European Union
; governance approach
; institutional framework
; nuclear power
; political ideology
; renewable resource
; strategic approach
; Europe
Scopus学科分类: nvironmental Science: General Environmental Science
; Earth and Planetary Sciences: Atmospheric Science
英文摘要: Since its initial adoption, the EU’s 2020 Strategy – to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increase the share of renewable energy to at least 20% of consumption, and achieve energy savings of 20% or more by 2020 – has witnessed substantial albeit uneven progress. This article addresses the question of what role nuclear power generation has played, and can or should play in future, towards attaining the EU 2020 Strategy, particularly with reference to decreasing emissions and increasing renewables. It also explores the persistent diversity in energy strategies among member states. To do so, it first surveys the current landscape of nuclear energy use and then presents the interrelated concepts of path dependency, momentum, and lock-in. The article proceeds to examine five factors that help explain national nuclear divergence: technological capacity and consumption; economic cost; security and materiality; national perceptions; and political, ideological and institutional factors. This divergence reveals a more general weakness in the 2020 Strategy’s underlying assumptions. Although energy security – defined as energy availability, reliability, affordability, and sustainability – remains a vital concern for all member states, the 2020 Strategy does not explicitly address questions of political participation, control, and power. The inverse relationship identified here – between intensity of nuclear commitments, and emissions mitigation and uptake of renewable sources – underscores the importance of increasing citizens' levels of energy policy awareness and participation in policy design. Policy relevance This article highlights the significance of non-market forces in shaping the EU’s energy markets. It finds that intensities of national commitment to nuclear power tend to be inversely related to degrees of success in achieving EU climate policy goals. While the nuclear sector is increasingly economically uncompetitive and appears to be in decline for the EU as a whole, an abiding political challenge remains one of increasing interests and incentives in popular participation and interest in energy systems management. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Citation statistics:
资源类型: 期刊论文
标识符: http://119.78.100.158/handle/2HF3EXSE/80356
Appears in Collections: 科学计划与规划
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作者单位: International Relations, Vienna School of International Studies, Vienna, Austria; SPRU – Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
Recommended Citation:
Lawrence A,, Sovacool B,, Stirling A. Nuclear energy and path dependence in Europe’s ‘Energy union’: coherence or continued divergence?[J]. Climate Policy,2016-01-01,16(5)