A clean energy future isn't set in stone – Nature.com

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Social scientists and geoscientists must work together to critically evaluate and develop feasible visions for a sustainable future. Is a clean-energy economy more viable than a degrowth future?
Traditionally, geoscientists study the Earth while social scientists study the human societies that inhabit it. Many disciplines such as the climate and environmental sciences cross this divide and have worked hard to bridge the gap. Nevertheless, in our experience as social scientists, a divide between these sciences persists, with geoscientists and social scientists often working in separate departments, publishing in different journals and using distinct frameworks to understand how the world works. With human societies recognized as geological agents in their own right^1,2, responsible for global-scale changes of landscapes, climate and ecosystems, we argue that we need to further strengthen collaborations between the social sciences and geosciences, particularly when thinking about resource extraction, so that we can work together to ensure feasible and sustainable futures everywhere.

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We thank A. Mol and A. Beaulieu for engaging with drafts of this article, and H. Faller for editing the work.
Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
Thomas Franssen
Department of Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Mandy de Wilde
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You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
Correspondence to Thomas Franssen.
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Franssen, T., de Wilde, M. A clean energy future isn’t set in stone. Nat. Geosci. (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00822-0
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Published: 26 August 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00822-0

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