Centro de estudos sobre a Mudança
Socioeconómica e o Território

The project investigates the types of decarbonisation strategies that comply with the Paris Agreement, whose implementation requires the transformation of several sectors in addition to energy, such as mobility, construction, food and industry. This sectoral transformation raises challenges for the development of countries and regions, which have become particularly pressing as states will have to accelerate the low-carbon transition with more fragile finances and the need for economic recovery after the pandemic crisis. The research combines theories of socio-technical transitions and economic geography to identify low-carbon transition pathways with the greatest transformative potential and to investigate how countries and regions are preparing for such transformation. The focus of this research is on the type of transition strategies that are most beneficial to the economy, that is, that have the capacity to generate changes in other sectors. The project studies the possible directions of the transition and its transformative capacity, assesses the extent to which the system is preparing for this mode of transition and identifies the areas that are leading or delaying change. To this end, it will develop a typology of transformational decarbonization strategies based on a systematic analysis of the literature. The project will also search for patterns of transformation towards sustainable production and consumption already emerging at business level, and match them with the theory-derived decarbonization strategies. The results will contribute to the discussion on the processes and modes of sustainable transitions associated with the economic characteristics of the different regions. The project will also contribute to the discussion on the influence of the context as a facilitator of or constraint on some types of decarbonization strategies, as well as will identify the strategic intervention levers under which policies can intervene in order to amplify the effect of transitions on structural transformation at national and regional level.