Transizione energetica: problemi e prospettive

The article aims to critically assess a political short-circuit embedded in the mainstream conception of energy transition: the more decarbonization policies are implemented (as measured by the increased production capacity of the renewable sector), the less the global economy decarbonizes itself (in terms of actual reductions of greenhouse gases’ emissions). In order to do this, we will first describe the basic features of the energy transition paradigm, as expressed in the fundamental documents of climate science, with particular reference to the ipcc (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the iea (International Energy Agency); then, we will focus on the conceptual distinction between the linear evolution – ‘by stages’ – of energy regimes and their cumulative development – ‘by amplification’; subsequently, we will dwell on the main historical junctures that lead to the short-circuit of the energy transition; finally, we will critically introduce the notion of Just Transition in order to propose a recovery, through an explicit reference to organized labor, of the socio-ecological potential of policies that aim to transform the productive structure of the global economy in a sustainable direction.