Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany
Sufficiency is a crucial strategy for achieving climate targets by reducing energy and resource consumption in absolute terms through changed practices. While most climate-protection concepts focus almost exclusively on the technological strategies of efficiency and consistency (e.g., renewable ener...
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| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2024.2350216 |
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| author | Janes Grewer Markus Keck Jana Zscheischler |
| author_facet | Janes Grewer Markus Keck Jana Zscheischler |
| author_sort | Janes Grewer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sufficiency is a crucial strategy for achieving climate targets by reducing energy and resource consumption in absolute terms through changed practices. While most climate-protection concepts focus almost exclusively on the technological strategies of efficiency and consistency (e.g., renewable energies), sufficiency is being increasingly considered in public policy as a social-organizational strategy, especially at the municipal level. However, given the diverse facets of this theoretical concept, the interpretations of the character of sufficiency vary widely. Using examples from the 40 German Masterplan municipalities, our qualitative study examines these different interpretations of sufficiency in municipal climate-protection concepts. In this study we analyze the general meaning and relevance of sufficiency in the concepts mentioned, work out the central dimensions of sufficiency and use them to distinguish between the different concepts, and present a typology, which allows the basic distinction between four municipal sufficiency types: technophiles, privatizers, vision builders, and frameworkers. The results show that sufficiency is gaining importance for municipal climate protection and can contribute to alternative future visions. However, sufficiency remains mostly subordinated to technological solutions and is hardly woven into the specific sectoral strategies and concrete measures. Furthermore, the transformative trajectories are limited through depoliticized understandings of sufficiency in many cases. We therefore argue for a more political, cross-sectoral, and transformative interpretation of sufficiency as a guiding principle in public climate policy that links tangible framework conditions for sufficiency practices with visions for alternative futures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-befb68e57dfc46cc902ca3cc99341cd6 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1548-7733 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy |
| spelling | doaj-art-befb68e57dfc46cc902ca3cc99341cd62025-08-20T02:30:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupSustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy1548-77332024-12-0120110.1080/15487733.2024.2350216Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in GermanyJanes Grewer0Markus Keck1Jana Zscheischler2Geography, Faculty II, University of Vechta, Vechta, GermanyCentre for Climate Resilience, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyGeography, Faculty II, University of Vechta, Vechta, GermanySufficiency is a crucial strategy for achieving climate targets by reducing energy and resource consumption in absolute terms through changed practices. While most climate-protection concepts focus almost exclusively on the technological strategies of efficiency and consistency (e.g., renewable energies), sufficiency is being increasingly considered in public policy as a social-organizational strategy, especially at the municipal level. However, given the diverse facets of this theoretical concept, the interpretations of the character of sufficiency vary widely. Using examples from the 40 German Masterplan municipalities, our qualitative study examines these different interpretations of sufficiency in municipal climate-protection concepts. In this study we analyze the general meaning and relevance of sufficiency in the concepts mentioned, work out the central dimensions of sufficiency and use them to distinguish between the different concepts, and present a typology, which allows the basic distinction between four municipal sufficiency types: technophiles, privatizers, vision builders, and frameworkers. The results show that sufficiency is gaining importance for municipal climate protection and can contribute to alternative future visions. However, sufficiency remains mostly subordinated to technological solutions and is hardly woven into the specific sectoral strategies and concrete measures. Furthermore, the transformative trajectories are limited through depoliticized understandings of sufficiency in many cases. We therefore argue for a more political, cross-sectoral, and transformative interpretation of sufficiency as a guiding principle in public climate policy that links tangible framework conditions for sufficiency practices with visions for alternative futures.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2024.2350216Climate protectionmunicipalitiessufficiencysufficiency policiestransition to sustainabilitysocial-ecological transformation |
| spellingShingle | Janes Grewer Markus Keck Jana Zscheischler Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy Climate protection municipalities sufficiency sufficiency policies transition to sustainability social-ecological transformation |
| title | Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany |
| title_full | Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany |
| title_fullStr | Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany |
| title_full_unstemmed | Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany |
| title_short | Different interpretations of sufficiency in climate-protection strategies: a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in Germany |
| title_sort | different interpretations of sufficiency in climate protection strategies a typology based on 40 pioneering municipalities in germany |
| topic | Climate protection municipalities sufficiency sufficiency policies transition to sustainability social-ecological transformation |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15487733.2024.2350216 |
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