The energy transition, essential to addressing the climate crisis, entails profound transformations in economic, social, and territorial systems. Too often, however, these policies are designed from a predominantly technocratic perspective, without systematically incorporating the social dimension of the changes they promote. This is why it is necessary to establish mechanisms for social proofing, that is, a critical review from a social perspective, as a structural part of any energy transition policy or initiative.
Social proofing would involve assessing how policies impact different social groups, whether they may generate new inequalities or exacerbate existing ones, and to what extent they consider the diverse territorial and socioeconomic realities. Recent experiences show how necessary and well-intentioned measures, such as subsidies for energy retrofitting, renewable energy deployment, or low-emission zones, can end up worsening inequalities or even favouring more affluent sectors if they are not designed with equity in mind and do not include specific provisions for vulnerable groups.
This need to integrate the social dimension into the energy transition is closely aligned with the concept of societal readiness, promoted by the European Commission in its research and innovation programmes focused on developing new technological solutions. Societal readiness is the extent to which a society is prepared to adopt, accept and integrate innovations, technologies or changes, particularly in situations involving significant social, environmental or technological transformations.
Within this framework, it is considered essential that projects, particularly in sectors like energy, which are undergoing structural transformations, demonstrate that they address real social needs. This means going beyond merely seeking acceptance of already-developed solutions and ensuring the active participation of diverse social actors throughout the entire project cycle, in order to guarantee that the resulting solutions are also socially viable and sustainable.
If we aim to leverage the energy transition to build a fairer energy system, incorporating social proofing and the perspective of societal readiness should be essential in the design of any public policy and in the deployment of new infrastructures. Only then can we ensure a just energy transition that is not only environmentally sustainable, but also socially legitimate.
