In October 1972, a worker digging a trench to lay an electric cable around Lake Varna, in present-day Bulgaria, noticed shiny objects that turned out to be the world's oldest and most complete gold treasure. Until then, archaeology believed that the birth of metallurgy had taken place in Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization.
The question arose about why this culture did not flourish and became known only relatively recently. Experts believe this society collapsed due to several factors, including climate change. Indeed, after the last ice age, temperatures began to rise, glaciers melted, and sea and groundwater levels rose, meaning fields near rivers and lakes became swampy and agricultural production fell.
This experience should lead us to take seriously the need to act urgently in the face of the current call from science on the urgency of limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to control the temperature rise.
In this regard, in November 2023, Jorge Fernández, coordinator of Orkestra's Energy and Environment Lab, and I published a report on "Regional strategies for energy transition and decarbonization. Review of the cases of Grand Est/Grand Reims, Scotland, North Rhine-Westphalia and “energy regions” in the Netherlands " whose objective was threefold: (i) to identify and describe the main key elements of the energy transition and decarbonization strategies in the selected territories; (ii) to draw some conclusions on elements relevant to the context of the Basque Country and (iii) to offer some recommendations for decision-makers in the Basque economy and, in particular, for public institutions, on various aspects related to the energy transition and the decarbonization process.
The analysis carried out on the four cases shows the need to accelerate the change process and carry out detailed long-range planning. Significant policies are adopted at the supranational level (in our case, the EU) and the national level, but those who end up implementing the measures and those with the most excellent knowledge of the territory are the regions, counties or localities.
It is essential to act in different dimensions, establishing objectives to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to each territory's reality. Energy production and consumption are two key elements for decarbonization due to their relevance to the level of global emissions. However, due to the many variables involved, decarbonization processes are complex and multidimensional. Therefore, objectives must be aligned with their corresponding sectoral strategies and action plans.
On the other hand, it is necessary to integrate economic, environmental and social aspects and to communicate this actively and transparently to facilitate the acceptance of decarbonization strategies since, in this process of transition towards ecological sustainability, there will be losers, and it is necessary to find ways to avoid being left behind. For this reason, the involvement of the social agents will be key, on the one hand, to have their support and commitment to action, as well as to accept the changes that lie ahead.
The regions analyzed are approaching decarbonization from a multi-technological perspective and seeking to take advantage of available natural resources (e.g., renewable energy). In addition, in some instances, emphasis is also placed on technologies such as carbon capture, use and storage, or the development of heat networks.
The four territories analyzed give R&D and innovation a leading role in decarbonization, mainly due to the high weight of the industrial sector in their economies. However, it is not supported in the same way in all of them, nor are the same resources available.
This is linked to the capacity of each territory and the possibilities of deploying different economic, fiscal and regulatory tools. This is closely related to the need to develop the appropriate competencies among agents to address this decarbonization, which is treated differently in each territory. As a result, measures to support the decarbonization of the economy in general and industry in particular vary from territory to territory.
In any case, and as mentioned, a common element in all of them is the use of available resources, i.e., in general, it is observed that the different territories take advantage of their strengths in natural and energy resources. For all this, as well as the success of decarbonization strategies, it is essential to monitor and follow up on the strategy and action plans.
The impact of climate change on our culture and society is difficult to predict, although experts predict a more complex context due to climate variability. Water, energy and food resources may be altered compared to what we have known and may endanger our survival. Therefore, it is essential to develop in parallel (and as some of the analyzed territories have done) strategies of adaptation to climate change so that our culture does not perish in the face of climate change as happened to the settlement of Varna and we become another example of lack of ability to understand and adapt to a new environmental context, especially now that we have a knowledge that did not exist at that time. We owe it to ourselves and future generations.
Macarena Larrea
Macarena Larrea, Researcher at Orkestra, holds a Ph.D. in Business Fostering and Development from the University of the Basque Country, she wrote her thesis on the “Internalization of the External Costs of Electricity Production”.
