"If there is anything to be learned from the 'Gilet Jaunes' protest in France, it is that social innovation should accompany environmental policymaking," wrote Nea Pakarinen, ICLEI Europe officer, in a recent article published in European Energy Innovation magazine.
Throughout the piece, Nea makes the case that sustainable energy policy cannot and will not be effective unless it includes the meaningful participation, acceptance and understanding of all those who will be directly impacted by changes. In order to ensure that Europe and its cities are able to meet local, regional and global environmental goals, climate and energy policies must centre residents.
One key component of taking people into account is including social innovation in policymaking. Social innovations in energy (SIEs) refer to new practices and relationships – such as the common example of energy cooperatives – that facilitate new ways of producing, managing, and consuming energy.
Cities across Europe are testing, supporting, and studying SIEs to see how they can be harnessed to support a transition to more sustainable energy systems, with European projects like SMARTEES, PROSEU, and SONNET supporting them along this journey.
Based on the work done by cities including ICLEI Members Barcelona and Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain), Malmö and Stockholm (Sweden), Zurich (Switzerland), and Aberdeen (the United Kingdom), the SMARTEES project deduced nine practical recommendations for policymakers to follow to ensure that social innovation is accounted for in their energy policies. These are:
- Build on existing engagement;
- Welcome resistance;
- Be trustworthy;
- Accomodate those in need;
- Remember that it is a team effort;
- Do not expect everyone to care;
- Look out for loop- and pot-holes;
- Use the media as a mediator; and
- Reroute routines.
To learn more about each of these key recommendations, read the full European Energy Innovation article here.
For more information, check out the SMARTEES report here.