The 'Carbon lock-in and institutions – outlines of a political economic approach to emissions reduction inertia' seminar took place in the Fórsa offices on Wednesday 14 June 2023 from 15:30 - 16:30. See presentation from the seminar.
Details of Seminar:
NERI economist, Paul Goldrick-Kelly presented on 'Carbon lock-in and institutions'. Subsequently, a discussion was open to the floor where the chairperson, Dr. Tom McDonnell, NERI Co-director presented questions to Paul. This research is funded by the Irish Research Council under grant number [EBPPG/2020/163] in collaboration with the NERI and National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Abstract:
The climate crisis we collectively face demands ambitious reductions in carbon emissions to avoid the worst of climate change – in Ireland and elsewhere. However, technologies, behaviours and institutions interact to limit this necessary transition through a process known as carbon lock-in. This sees initial conditions, and coevolving economic incentives, social and individual dynamics act to inhibit the take up of low carbon alternatives. This implies that the mere existence of low carbon technologies or pathways won’t guarantee their uptake. Institutions are critical to this process – shaping rules and norms which affect and are affected by political economic actors. In this upcoming paper, I offer outlines of a possible framework to combine the analytic tools of the carbon lock-in and social-technical transitions literature with political economic theory concerned with the emergence and nature of institutions building on some of the advantages of each. This perspective could offer insight into structural forces which may impede transition and offer ways to break these destructive paths.