Going slow to go fast: public response and engagement in renewable energy projects – Nature

Report on Public Engagement and Sustainable Development in Renewable Energy Projects

Executive Summary

The deployment of renewable energy, essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), is frequently impeded by local opposition. This report reviews the evolution of energy social science in analyzing public response to these projects. The field has transitioned from studying general support and opposition to examining community-specific reactions, and more recently, to advocating for a just transition that aligns with SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). A critical gap remains in the representation of Indigenous perspectives, whose engagement is vital for equitable development. The predominant neoliberal capitalist model for renewable energy development requires re-evaluation, with a need for alternative models that better support SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Current challenges, including misinformation and institutional distrust, threaten the establishment of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) and necessitate urgent, robust engagement efforts. Offshore renewable projects often magnify these social dynamics, making community engagement even more critical. This report concludes that effective community engagement, equity, and the speed of deployment are not contradictory but are linked. Adopting a ‘go slow to go fast’ approach—which involves meaningful consultation, building trust, and realistically addressing community impacts—is paramount for ensuring that the energy transition advances equity and sustainability goals in concert.

Challenges in Aligning Renewable Energy Deployment with Sustainable Development Goals

Achieving ambitious targets for renewable energy deployment faces significant hurdles at the local level, directly impacting the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Local Opposition and Siting Conflicts

Local opposition presents a primary barrier to the rapid expansion of renewable energy infrastructure needed for SDG 7 and SDG 13. Community responses are complex and influenced by several factors:

• Procedural Justice: A lack of fair and transparent processes in project siting often leads to community resistance, undermining trust in institutions as outlined in SDG 16.
• Distributive Justice: Communities perceive an inequitable distribution of costs and benefits, where local impacts are not offset by tangible advantages, conflicting with the principles of SDG 10.
• Community Impacts: Concerns regarding visual, environmental, and economic impacts on livelihoods must be realistically assessed and addressed to foster sustainable communities under SDG 11.

Socio-Political Context

The broader socio-political environment creates additional challenges for sustainable energy transitions.

• Misinformation and Distrust: The spread of misinformation and a general distrust of institutions can polarize communities and hinder constructive dialogue, complicating efforts to build partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).
• Under-represented Groups: Indigenous communities are often disproportionately affected by energy projects, yet their engagement remains insufficient, highlighting a failure to uphold the principles of recognition and justice central to SDG 10.
• Offshore Development Dynamics: Offshore projects, such as wind farms, amplify onshore challenges related to stakeholder engagement, particularly with fishing communities and coastal populations, requiring more intensive efforts to ensure just outcomes.

The Imperative of a Just Transition and SDG Alignment

To overcome these challenges, the energy transition must be framed within the principles of energy justice, ensuring that progress towards SDG 7 does not compromise other critical sustainable development objectives.

Evolving Perspectives in Energy Social Science

The academic and practical understanding of social acceptance has matured significantly. The focus has shifted through distinct phases:

1. Analyzing Public Support and Opposition: Initial research focused on quantifying general public opinion on renewable energy.
2. Explaining Community Response: A more nuanced approach emerged, seeking to understand the specific reasons for community acceptance or rejection of individual projects.
3. Elucidating a Just Transition: The current focus is on ensuring the energy transition is equitable and just, incorporating principles that support SDG 10 and SDG 16 by prioritizing procedural, distributive, and recognition justice.

Integrating Indigenous Perspectives and Alternative Models

A truly sustainable transition requires systemic changes to current development paradigms.

• Indigenous Engagement: Meaningful engagement with Indigenous peoples is crucial. Their rights, knowledge, and perspectives must be central to development processes to ensure recognition justice.
• Alternative Development Models: The prevailing neoliberal capitalist model for energy development must be supplemented or replaced by alternatives, such as community ownership and co-operative models, which can deliver more direct local benefits and foster stronger community support, thereby strengthening SDG 11.

Key Recommendations for Achieving SDGs through Renewable Energy

To ensure the renewable energy transition is both rapid and just, the following key actions are recommended, aligning directly with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

1. Promote Social and Ecological Justice: The deployment of renewable energy infrastructure must be explicitly designed to advance a socially and ecologically just world, contributing to SDG 10 and SDG 15 (Life on Land).
2. Embed Equitable Processes: Energy transition planning must include equitable processes that recognize all affected parties, involve them in meaningful decision-making, and deliver tangible benefits. Ignoring these principles of energy justice can lead to project delays and failures, hindering progress on SDG 7.
3. Showcase Successful Projects: Highlighting successful projects delivered through the principles of energy justice can provide a replicable model and build broader support for deployment, accelerating climate action under SDG 13.
4. Invest in Engagement and Capacity Building: Significant investment and innovation are needed in the community engagement process. Furthermore, fostering community capacity to engage effectively is essential for creating strong partnerships and institutions (SDG 16 and SDG 17).
5. Foster a Broader Context of Acceptance: A shared understanding of the urgency of SDG 13 must be balanced with a genuine acknowledgement of the impacts of renewable energy projects on communities and livelihoods. This balanced perspective is key to a successful and sustainable energy transition.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on renewable energy projects, community engagement, and just transitions is connected to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The analysis identifies the following primary and related SDGs:

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

  This is the most central SDG, as the article’s entire focus is on the “deployment of renewable energy infrastructures” such as onshore and offshore wind projects. It discusses the challenges and social dynamics involved in transitioning to clean energy sources to meet “ambitious targets for renewable energy deployment.”

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The article strongly emphasizes the need for a “just transition” and “equitable processes.” It highlights how renewable energy projects can create or exacerbate inequalities if they do not properly engage with all affected groups, particularly noting that “Indigenous engagement with renewable energy development… remains under-represented.” The call for processes that “recognize those affected, involve them in meaningful processes and deliver tangible benefits” directly addresses the core principles of reducing inequality.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The discussion revolves around “project siting” and the “community response to specific projects.” The article addresses the challenge of “local opposition” and the impact of large-scale energy infrastructure on communities and their livelihoods. It advocates for planning practices that are inclusive and consider community impacts to avoid delays and refusals, aligning with the goal of making human settlements sustainable and resilient.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The underlying driver for the renewable energy transition discussed in the article is the “urgency of addressing climate change.” The deployment of renewable energy is a primary strategy for climate mitigation. The article frames the entire discussion within the context of the “broader climate movement” and the need for an effective “energy transition” to combat global warming.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article calls for building “trust” and addressing the “distrust of institutions.” It advocates for “equitable processes” and “just and effective siting practices” that involve meaningful community engagement. This relates directly to building effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels, as the failure to do so can lead to project delays, refusals, and social conflict.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues discussed, the following specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. The article’s focus on the “deployment of renewable energy infrastructures” and meeting “ambitious targets” directly supports this goal of increasing the proportion of energy from renewable sources.
   • Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy… and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. The article’s call for “investment and innovation in the engagement process for renewable energy siting” aligns with this target by focusing on improving the non-technical, social infrastructure needed for successful technology deployment.

2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… origin… or other status. The article’s emphasis on including “those affected” in “meaningful processes” and its specific mention of the under-representation of “Indigenous engagement” directly relates to this target of ensuring inclusive participation.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome… The call for “equitable processes” and the delivery of “tangible benefits” to communities impacted by renewable energy projects aims to ensure that the outcomes of the energy transition are fair and do not disproportionately burden certain groups.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries. The article’s core argument about the need for “effectively engaging communities” in “project siting” and planning for renewable energy infrastructure is a direct application of this target to energy development.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The deployment of renewable energy, as discussed in the article, is a key climate change measure. The challenges of social acceptance and local opposition are presented as hurdles to implementing these national strategies effectively.

5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels. The article’s central theme of “engagement, equity and speed” and its recommendation to “go slow to go fast” by “effectively engaging communities” directly advocates for the kind of participatory decision-making described in this target. It critiques top-down approaches and highlights the need to build trust and involve communities meaningfully to avoid “delays and refusals.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicators, but it implies several qualitative and quantitative measures that could be used to track progress towards the identified targets:

• For SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)

  • Rate of renewable energy deployment: The article discusses “ambitious targets for renewable energy deployment” and the need for speed. An implied indicator is the successful installation and operation of renewable energy projects (e.g., megawatts of wind or solar capacity added per year).

• For SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)

  • Level of community and Indigenous participation: The emphasis on “meaningful processes” and “Indigenous engagement” suggests an indicator related to the degree and quality of participation of affected communities, including marginalized groups, in the planning and decision-making stages of energy projects.
  • Distribution of tangible benefits: The article states that equitable processes should “deliver tangible benefits.” Progress could be measured by the number of projects that have community benefit agreements, local ownership models, or other mechanisms for sharing economic returns.

• For SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

  • Incidence of project delays and opposition: The article notes that failing to use principles of energy justice “can lead to delays and refusals.” A key indicator of successful, participatory planning would be a reduction in the number of projects stalled or cancelled due to local opposition.

• For SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  • Public trust in institutions and developers: The article highlights “distrust of institutions” as a major challenge. Measuring public trust through surveys and other social science methods would be a direct indicator of progress in building the relationships needed for a smooth energy transition.
  • Adoption of energy justice principles: The article calls for “successful projects that have been delivered through the principles of energy justice.” An indicator would be the number of policies, regulations, and corporate practices that formally incorporate principles of procedural, distributive, and recognitional justice.
  • Investment in community engagement: The call for “investment and innovation in the engagement process” implies that tracking financial and human resource allocation towards community engagement activities would be a useful metric.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: nature.com