Energy futures reimagined : the global energy transition and dependence on Russian energy as issues in the sociotechnical imaginaries of energy security in Finland

European countries are facing a dual challenge in 2022 with regard to how to reimagine energy security after cutting ties to Russian energy, but without undermining the imperative for a continent-wide energy transition. In this article, a sociotechnical imaginaries framework is utilised to capture the broader sociotechnical dynamics beyond the typical connotation of energy security through supply-side economics. This is implemented by situating discursive struggles over the framing of the global energy transition and energy dependence on Russia vis-`a-vis predominant visions of energy security in Finland. By utilising argumentative discourse analysis based on interview and documentary data focusing on debates in Finland during 2015-2019, the article uncovers predominant sociotechnical imaginaries connected to energy security and discursive struggles over potentially reframing them. The identified tensions focused on 1) how future energy security should be governed, 2) whether Russia is a threat or reliable trading partner and supplier of energy, and 3) how to approach the energy transition in relation to energy security. While the focus is on controversies, the analysis also identifies increasing coherence in attaining both security and sustainability goals. There are attempts to imagine energy futures in a more sociotechnical fashion that would capture the societal dynamics more broadly. The predominant ways of imagining societal development coproduced with energy technologies tend to be constrained by techno-economic rationality. Up to the early months of 2022, this typically undermined societal and political risks in favour of interdependence and market-driven liberalism, also widely shared across the European Union.Peer reviewe

Towards Carbon-Neutral Mobility in Finland: Mobility and Life Satisfaction in Day-to-Day Life

Finland, a prosperous Nordic country with a population of 5.5 million and significant distances between towns, though quite short distances traveled by car, is aiming to be a carbon-neutral society by 2035. Due to the level of urgency, a technological pathway with decarbonization of fuels and innovation only, is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead, a more systemic change based on a transformative pathway with demand-side management, i.e., measures based on behavioral change, is vital. In this research we were interested in learning how life satisfaction relates to the behavioral intentions of Finnish citizens, regarding a sustainable modal shift. We focused on walking, cycling, public transport and reduction in car use, e.g., a transition from fossil fuels to active mobility, from ownership to usership. Data were collected via a questionnaire in April 2017. The respondents (n = 2052) provided 2335 comments as to why they considered a specific sustainable modality as being important to them. We applied both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish how the mobility behavior of citizens manifests nationwide and the types of arguments that citizens put forward concerning their mobility intentions. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the respondents’ reduced use of private cars and their life satisfaction. There is a concern about sustainability and a willingness to change current mobility practices, as well as signs of altruism, while hedonic concerns such as health and personal finances dominate the responses. Furthermore, concerns about social injustice, such as a lack of public transport, are emerging themes, i.e., when enacting mobility transitions it is vital to focus on how to enable a meaningful life for all demographic groups using suitable mobility services

Russia and climate capitalism : a political economy perspective on the governance of joint implementation projects in Russia.

Societal responses to mitigating climate change have so far been governed with market-based practices. The Kyoto Protocol was the first agreement institutionalising this approach. The Russian Federation, one of the key net emitters participated in this framework mostly through project-based JI mechanism that subordinates concrete actions for business. The investigation through a neo-Gramscian political economy lens on climate governance will show that the mechanism preserved the position of the carboniferous historical bloc consisting of Russian elite interests that are dependant on the use of fossil fuels. The focus is on how the global agreement is translated into domestic institutional development and how corporations and non-governmental organisations try to stabilise the new politico-economic field based on the trade of carbon credits. The process is studied with the use of argumentative discourse analysis, as it links actors and the storylines they pursue with organisational aspects of power. The key sources for the analysis are media articles and expert interviews. In terms of media, the Russian business newspaper Kommersant , news agency Ria Novosti, and international carbon market specific journal Point Carbon are the key sources. As the JI is a highly expert-based sphere, six interviews with Russian and foreign experts on carbon trading provide a more comprehensive picture. The investigation shows that debate was mostly centered between the discourses of nation and market civilisation that may interact together, but may also be in conflict with one another, especially when the perceived economic benefits are high. The research conducted shows that a small coalition mostly of business actors and environmental organisations, and some civil servants in Russian government emerged during the JI process that advocates for climate change mitigation with the use of market-based mechanisms. The JI projects did not provide a significant incentive towards a low carbon economy neither for Russian governmental or business actors, but rather it mostly preserved the priviledges of carboniferous historical bloc. The most remarkable change in corporate activities mostly occurred in the discursive sphere in terms of branding and marketing

Towards Carbon-Neutral Mobility in Finland: Mobility and Life Satisfaction in Day-to-Day Life

Finland, a prosperous Nordic country with a population of 5.5 million and significant distances between towns, though quite short distances traveled by car, is aiming to be a carbon-neutral society by 2035. Due to the level of urgency, a technological pathway with decarbonization of fuels and innovation only, is unlikely to be sufficient. Instead, a more systemic change based on a transformative pathway with demand-side management, i.e., measures based on behavioral change, is vital. In this research we were interested in learning how life satisfaction relates to the behavioral intentions of Finnish citizens, regarding a sustainable modal shift. We focused on walking, cycling, public transport and reduction in car use, e.g., a transition from fossil fuels to active mobility, from ownership to usership. Data were collected via a questionnaire in April 2017. The respondents (n = 2052) provided 2335 comments as to why they considered a specific sustainable modality as being important to them. We applied both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to establish how the mobility behavior of citizens manifests nationwide and the types of arguments that citizens put forward concerning their mobility intentions. The results indicate that there is a strong relationship between the respondents’ reduced use of private cars and their life satisfaction. There is a concern about sustainability and a willingness to change current mobility practices, as well as signs of altruism, while hedonic concerns such as health and personal finances dominate the responses. Furthermore, concerns about social injustice, such as a lack of public transport, are emerging themes, i.e., when enacting mobility transitions it is vital to focus on how to enable a meaningful life for all demographic groups using suitable mobility services

Finland’s Dependence on Russian Energy-Mutually Beneficial Trade Relations or an Energy Security Threat?

Studies on energy security in the context of relations between European Union (EU) and Russia tend to focus on cases, with an open conflict related to supply, such as “hard” energy weapons, or on only one fuel, often natural gas. However, there is a need to understand the long-term impacts that energy relations have politically, economically and physically, and their linkages between resilience, sustainability and security. We analyse the Finnish-Russian energy relations as a case study, as they are characterised by a non-conflictual relationship. To assess this complex relationship, we apply the interdependence framework to analyse both the energy systems and energy strategies of Finland and Russia, and the energy security issues related to the notable import dependence on one supplier. Moreover, we analyse the plausible development of the energy trade between the countries in three different energy policy scenarios until 2040. The findings of the article shed light on how the trends in energy markets, climate change mitigation and broader societal and political trends could influence Russia’s energy trade relations with countries, such as Finland. Our analysis shows that Finland’s dependence on primary energy imports does not pose an acute energy security threat in terms of sheer supply, and the dependence is unlikely to worsen in the future. However, due to the difficulty in anticipating societal, political, and economic trends, there are possible developments that could affect Finland.Peer reviewe

Energia, huoltovarmuus ja geopoliittiset siirtymät

Hanke on toteutettu Pöyryn ja Helsingin yliopiston Aleksanteri-instituutin yhteistyöhankkeena, ja se käsittelee energiasektorin muutostrendien vaikutusta geopolitiikkaan ja huoltovarmuuteen. Työn tavoitteena on ollut kehittää strategisiin energiasiirtymiin liittyvien poliittisten riskien ja epävarmuustekijöiden ennakointia kolmen Pöyryn valitseman energiaskenaarion (hitaan kehityksen skenaario, perusskenaario ja nopean kehityksen skenaario) kautta vuoteen 2040 saakka. Raportti antaa kokonaiskuvan tulevaisuuden energiantuotantorakenteesta keskittyen erityisesti hiilivetyjen kysynnän kehittymiseen ja uusiin teknologioihin. Lopputuloksena on arvioitu muutoksen merkitystä Venäjälle ja edelleen sen vaikutusta Suomen huoltovarmuuteen ja turvallisuuspolitiikkaan. Tulevaisuuden kehitys vastaa todennäköisesti perus- ja nopean kehityksen skenaarion välimuotoa, ja etenkin nopean kehityksen skenaario voi johtaa globaalisti merkittävään hiilivetyjen ylitarjontatilanteeseen. Energian ja sähkön kysyntä kasvaa, ja hiilivetyjen kysyntä laskee globaalisti ja alueellisesti molemmissa skenaarioissa. Suomen huoltovarmuuden kannalta tilanne paranee tuontipolttoaineiden osuuden vähenemisen myötä, taloudellinen riippuvuus Venäjästä vähenee ja Venäjän kyky vaikuttaa energian kautta laskee. Venäjä käyttää todennäköisesti vähemmän suoria vaikutuskeinoja mutta epäsuorien keinojen käyttö on mahdollista. Kriittisimmäksi tekijäksi Suomen huoltovarmuuden kannalta nousee polttoaineiden logistiikan turvaaminen (lämmöntuotannossa biopolttoaineet ja liikenteessä öljytuotteet ja nestemäiset biopolttoaineet) ja sähköverkon toimivuus etenkin tilanteissa, joissa Suomessa sijaitsevan tuotantokapasiteetin ja huippukulutuksen erotus on suuri. Jotta Venäjän mahdollisiin epäsuoriin vaikutuskeinoihin voidaan varautua myös tulevaisuudessa, viranomaisten, ministeriöiden ja yksityisen sektorin välinen yhteistyö on olennaista erilaisten epävarmuustekijöiden ja riskien ennakoimisessa sekä politiikkavalmisteluss

Antropologia monipuolistaa ymmärrystä valtiosta: Valtion antropologiaa

Tuomas Tammisto ja Heikki Wilenius (toim.): Valtion antropologiaa. Tutkimuksia ihmisten hallitsemisesta ja vastarinnasta. Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura, Helsinki 2022. 360 s. Tuomas Tammiston ja Heikki Wileniuksen toimittama yhdestätoista empiirisestä tutkimuksesta koostuva teos antaa läpileikkauksen antropologisesta valtion tutkimuksesta. Teos ei pohdi valtiota käsitteenä perinteisen valtio-opin tapaan vaan kysyy ”miten valtio rakentuu, mitä vaikutuksia näillä rakenteilla on ja millaisiksi valtiot koetaan” (s. 9). Metodologisesti teos perustuu pääosin etnografiaan, eli osallistuvaan havainnointiin pohjautuvaan suhteellisen rajatussa ajassa ja paikassa tapahtuvaan kenttätyöhön. Käyn läpi, miten vallan ja valtion suhde näyttäytyy erilaisissa maantieteellisissä konteksteissa. Lopuksi pohdin kestävyysmurrosten tutkimuksen ja kansainvälisen politiikan välissä liikkuvana tutkijana teoksen valtiokäsitystä suhteessa laajempaan yhteiskuntatieteelliseen tutkimukseen

Russia and climate capitalism : a political economy perspective on the governance of joint implementation projects in Russia.

Societal responses to mitigating climate change have so far been governed with market-based practices. The Kyoto Protocol was the first agreement institutionalising this approach. The Russian Federation, one of the key net emitters participated in this framework mostly through project-based JI mechanism that subordinates concrete actions for business. The investigation through a neo-Gramscian political economy lens on climate governance will show that the mechanism preserved the position of the carboniferous historical bloc consisting of Russian elite interests that are dependant on the use of fossil fuels. The focus is on how the global agreement is translated into domestic institutional development and how corporations and non-governmental organisations try to stabilise the new politico-economic field based on the trade of carbon credits. The process is studied with the use of argumentative discourse analysis, as it links actors and the storylines they pursue with organisational aspects of power. The key sources for the analysis are media articles and expert interviews. In terms of media, the Russian business newspaper Kommersant , news agency Ria Novosti, and international carbon market specific journal Point Carbon are the key sources. As the JI is a highly expert-based sphere, six interviews with Russian and foreign experts on carbon trading provide a more comprehensive picture. The investigation shows that debate was mostly centered between the discourses of nation and market civilisation that may interact together, but may also be in conflict with one another, especially when the perceived economic benefits are high. The research conducted shows that a small coalition mostly of business actors and environmental organisations, and some civil servants in Russian government emerged during the JI process that advocates for climate change mitigation with the use of market-based mechanisms. The JI projects did not provide a significant incentive towards a low carbon economy neither for Russian governmental or business actors, but rather it mostly preserved the priviledges of carboniferous historical bloc. The most remarkable change in corporate activities mostly occurred in the discursive sphere in terms of branding and marketing

Energian poliittiset aineellisuudet

Kirja-arvostelu: Arvosteltu teos: Margarita M. Balmaceda: Russian Energy Chains. The Remaking of Technopolitics from Siberia to Ukraine to the European Union. New York: Columbia University Press, 2021.Non peer reviewe