From coal to renewables: changing socio-ecological relations of energy in India, Australia, and Germany

Abstract Exploring the social and political processes of leaving coal and speeding the pace of energy transitions is vital for our futures. We describe rebellions against coal and their relationships to renewable transition, in Germany (Lausitz), India (Chhattisgarh), and Australia (Hunter Valley). We investigate whether citizen participation in the fight against coal does (or does not) invoke an alternative narrative of energy transition and open up new spaces for politics. In Chhattisgarh, people stopped some coal projects but did not see this in terms of transition to renewables. In the Lausitz, people expressed opposition to coal not only to defend their villages but also as a defense of the Energiewende. In the Hunter Valley, a legal precedent was established and people saw the importance of transforming their economy postcoal, which may include renewable transition. The cases suggest that citizen participation in transition is a complex affair and that politics as usual may not suffice.