1. The politics of the low-carbon transition
James Meadowcroft
Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development
Carleton University
Managing Decarbonization the Cases of Canada and Germany
University of British Columbia
October 28, 2016

2. The politics of the low-carbon transition
‘Managing’ decarbonization
The low carbon transition
Politics and policy

3. Low carbon transition ‘Decarbonization’
‘Transition to low carbon society’
(process; endpoint, directionality; focus on climate emissions)
Technical and social change
Many ways to do this
Difficult: deep structural obstacles; long time; many political cycles
Critical role for the state
Comparison with other socio-technical transitions
How and why states act: not monolithic actors

4. Low carbon transition 2
Uncertainties (shale gas; oil price collapse; Muskrat Falls)
Conflictual (pipelines; power plants; provinces)
Reverses (Ontario: new renewables; BC)
Mistakes (Ontario wind)
Domestic/international linkages
(pipelines, CCS at Shell Quest)

5. Politics and policy Ideas, institutions, interests Ideas:
Transition framing (not emissions)
Discursive struggles (eg: solar Ontario)
Delegitimize opponents (unburnable carbon)

6. Institutions Politics and policy 2
Organizations: old and new: ‘functional ecosystem’
(strategy, review, finance, education, mobilization)
Ratcheting change
Policy tools: basket: not just carbon pricing;
Ontario coal; ‘technological neutrality?’

7. regional decarbonization strategies; green development policy;
Politics and policy 3
Interests
regional decarbonization strategies;
green development policy;
building countervailing constituencies;
target strategic sectors (transport: EVs)
buy off opponents

8. Conclusion Forget the design of optimal policy:
Rather negotiate a messy and conflicted process