ABSTRACT
Transitions typically flow from the discovery and exploitation of a new source of abundant energy that rapidly becomes cheaper and more exploitable. Politically, transitions depend on overcoming energy incumbents and vested energy interests. Aiding transition is the fact that we now have far more knowledge about transitions than before. The transition has progressed farthest in electricity, but global electricity production only accounts for 17% of total final energy consumption. Some transition definitions comprise energy efficiency, and according to projections made by the International Energy Agency it accounts for more than a third of the emissions cuts necessary for the 2°C climate target. Another general disagreement concerns human behavior. Thus, some believe that any transition must include a dramatic reduction in individual consumption, whereas others are adamant that regardless of individual behavior, energy transitions are fundamentally systemic events.
