Municipalities and citizens can lead the way in fair, clean and democratic energy transitions across the world, and take real action to prevent further human-induced climate change.
This website explores the ‘energy transition’, what it is, and how we can achieve the transition in a way that will not only prevent the worst effects of climate change, but will also build resilient and just futures for generations to come. We explore how this change can happen at a local level - through the actions of municipalities/ local authorities and citizens and community groups within those areas.
Our learning resources are based on research conducted by the mPOWER project, funded by the European Union. Due to the parameters of the funding, most of the case studies are focused on Europe, though we have included a few examples from beyond Europe, researched by our partner organisation Transnational Institute (TNI). There is a huge amount that European countries should be learning from how countries in the global south are responding to issues such as Energy Poverty, so we hope these examples will illuminate this for readers. We have focused largely on cities, as research shows that cities are the greatest contributors to CO2 emissions, and therefore have the most work to do to decarbonise. Contexts vary across the world, but each of these case studies can provide inspiration for your locality, wherever you are. There will always be key principles, pathways and ideas that can move across borders and influence different spaces.
We hope the content on this site will give you ideas for changes you could see on your doorstep or in your area, whether you are working for a local authority, or a citizen wanting to know more about the energy transition.
The site has been designed to meet a range of needs, if you are a total beginner - you might want to start at the introduction - if you already have some knowledge you may choose to flick through the topics of interest and skip the introductory weeks (1, 2 and 3). Throughout the course we explore the social, technical and financial complexities of the energy transition. On each page we have selected relevant resources to the content, but if you want to skip straight to the resources - check out our resources list which incorporates everything we have shared, plus some additional reading lists. As a final thought - you may want to explore the content on this page with a group of other folks. We have put learning tasks throughout that will help to crystallise what you learn as you go along. You can also do these activities alone.Enjoy
When delving into this work you may sometimes feel that the energy system is fixed and unchangeable. To begin with a little inspiration, have a listen to two mPower colleagues talk about the importance of cultivating hope, new narratives and our collective imagination.
