Green Energies on the Ground Across the Mediterranean
How can we forge a renewable energy transition in the Mediterranean that is both ecologically sustainable and socially just?
This project directly addresses this question by scrutinising the regional convergence of energy actors and policies across the Mediterranean, and by evaluating the value of innovative tools, specifically visual methodologies and citizen assemblies, in fostering more democratic and inclusive outcomes.
While the green energy transition is a global imperative, its implementation in the Mediterranean region creates unique tensions between decarbonisation goals, ecological integrity, and community rights.
This research aims to enhance both academic and practical understanding of these dynamics, advocating for a community-driven and equitable model of transition.
Regional Scrutiny and Case Study Convergence
To move beyond isolated national analyses, this project employs a comparative approach across three strategically selected case studies, each representing a key technology and a distinct national context within the Mediterranean basin:
Tuzla/Gülpınar (Turkey): A geothermal project raising ecological and ownership questions.
Sitia and Heraklion (Greece): Wind energy sites and a nascent energy community, highlighting tensions and opportunities for local participation.
San Giovanni a Teduccio and Ponticelli (Italy): Solar initiatives in urban contexts, exploring energy justice and social inclusion.
These sites were chosen for their potential to transform regional energy systems, but also because they have sparked conflict, revealing a common pattern where top-down development models often exclude local communities.
By analysing this convergence of challenges, the project will investigate shared Mediterranean dynamics, including the relationship between climate change, energy transitions, and local community rights.
Aims
This project aims to enhance both academic and practical understanding of community-driven, sustainable, and equitable green energy transitions.
By analysing their impact on climate policies, the study investigates shared Mediterranean challenges through three case studies, emphasising the relationship between climate change, green energy transitions and local communities.
Additionally, it examines how visual methodologies, such as participatory filmmaking, can enhance social science research by capturing grassroots perspectives and promoting inclusive dialogue.
Methods
Valuing Participation and Visual Evidence
The research employs a mixed-methods approach designed to both diagnose problems and prototype solutions for greater justice and sustainability.
Diagnostic Analysis
The project will begin by scrutinising the existing landscape through:
- A review of theoretical debates on just transitions and environmental geopolitics
- Analysis of national and EU energy legislation
- Scrutiny of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for each site
- Media content analysis to map prevailing public narratives in Turkey, Greece, and Italy.
Participatory and Visual Engagement
To capture grassroots perspectives often missing from official reports, the project will pioneer two key approaches:
Evaluating Visual Methodologies: The core of our fieldwork uses participatory filmmaking to co-produce knowledge with local communities. This method is not merely illustrative; its value will be scrutinised for its capacity to capture nuanced, embodied experiences, foster inclusive dialogue, and generate evidence that challenges dominant policy narratives.
Prototyping Citizen Deliberation: Building on the insights gathered, the project will move beyond analysis to action by setting up citizen assemblies in each case study region. These assemblies will serve as real-world experiments to directly assess the value of deliberative democracy in resolving energy conflicts. They will bring together diverse stakeholders to review evidence (including the co-created films) and develop community-informed recommendations for a more just energy future.
Stakeholder Integration
To ensure a comprehensive understanding, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with a wide range of actors, from local politicians and energy developers to activists and academics.
The findings from the visual and deliberative methods will directly inform these discussions, creating a robust feedback loop between grassroots perspectives and institutional viewpoints.
Through this integrated framework, the project ultimately seeks to provide a validated model for how visual storytelling and citizen deliberation can make the Mediterranean's necessary energy transition not only greener but also fairer and more sustainable for all.
Principal Investigator
Senior Lecturer in International Relations
Affiliations
Funding
Funding Body: The British Academy
Amount: £287,237.08
Period: April 2025 - April 2027