Page 49 - Nigeria one mag en-21

Energy transition

When a potentially ambitious solution to the ecological crisis

exacerbates injustices and inequalities.

solar panel on the roof of a modern house

Towards an energy transition: solution or obstacle?
In the mid-1970s, the term "energy transition" originated to address the worries and concerns
associated with energy crises. As Jean Baptiste Fressoz rightly reminds us, "talking about transition
rather than "crisis" made the future much less anxiety-provoking by linking it to a rational planning
and management approach.
However, the term "energy transition" contains a hint of radicalism. In reality, the energy transition
means a radical shift in the way energy is produced and consumed. There is a noble purpose behind
this process, which reduces significantly the emissions of carbon dioxide that contribute to global
warming. Nevertheless, this change of paradigm and practice requires the elimination of fossil fuels
with limited resources and by definition non-renewable, to replace them with renewable energy
sources. In Europe, most of the scenarios are based on moving from the current energy system, which
relies on non-renewable resources, to a mix of renewable and so-called clean energy resources. Energy
transition advocates intend to implement this change in all human activities by 2050.

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