In times of crisis, what concerns people the most is uncertainty around what is essential. And, by all means, energy is essential for most activities of modern society; it interconnects people and places, hopes and fears. And the current energy crisis has the potential to disrupt our way of living significantly. Indeed, large parts of society are totally unprepared for the current price crisis. They may not get a solid grasp of where and how they use energy or how much it costs them to use it. At the same time, people may not be well equipped to appreciate or comprehend the energy transition that is already underway and is expected to be faster than ever before in human history, nor how much this unfolding transition costs and what their role is in it. With so many open questions, how can energy leaders successfully manage a sustainable transition?

In an opinion post in New Europe, PARIS REINFORCE project coordinator, Prof. Haris Doukas (NTUA), discusses how the 'energy trilemma' is outdated and insufficient to address challenges associated with climate change mitigation in view of COVID-19 recovery efforts and the Ukraine conflict. He iterates the need to incorporate a more 'human' element, that of energy citizenship, discussing how it can help mitigate the current energy price spikes while meeting longer-term policy considerations, such as energy/climate justice and fossil fuel divestment.

You may read here the full commentary on New Europe (link).