TransFair

Duration: 01.01.2022 - 14.02.2024

Sponsor:in: ACRP Federal Climate and Energy Fund

Ambitious action to mitigate climate change will require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. If taken seriously, these actions will radically alter energy systems and economic realities, and eventually impact social systems. Although the overall long-term impacts of such actions are likely to be positive, there will also be negative impacts (especially in the short term), and it is likely that neither the benefits nor the costs will be evenly distributed. As with any radical change, some groups will particularly benefit from ambitious climate policies, while others will experience disadvantages. Implementing ambitious climate policies therefore inevitably involves issues of social fairness and equity, and requires strategies for dealing with vulnerable groups and potentially adverse impacts. The main objective of the proposed project is to explore such strategies (transitional support) in the context of Austria. To this end, we will analyze currently planned and discussed climate policies, identify vulnerable groups, and examine the adverse impacts these groups may face. The added value of the project is that it does not only focus on economic and financial impacts. It also explicitly considers non-financial impacts, social perceptions, and citizen preferences when selecting policies, complemented by equity and justice considerations. In this way, the project will shed light on strategies and response mechanisms that go beyond the standard measures of financial compensation.

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