In 2024 the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), in collaboration with Research Institutes of Sweden (RI.SE), Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST), and Florence Renewable Energies (ETA), organised a series of citizen consultations on the social impacts of bioenergy across four European countries (Bulgaria, Italy, Sweden and Austria).
The citizen consultations are conceived as a participatory co-design process for public engagement in bioenergy technologies, adapted from the Citizen Visions on Science, Technology and Innovation (CIVISTI) method. This initiative aims to increase the societal relevance and acceptance of bioenergy technologies by including citizens in the process of defining policy and innovation agendas. Local consultations led to expanding the knowledge base of citizens about the role of bioenergy in the energy transition and enable them, as experts on their daily lives, to voice and incorporate their values, hopes, and concerns into policy and research priorities.
The overall aim of the consultation is to develop citizens’ visions of a desirable future for the role of renewable fuels and bioenergy in 2050. The citizens’ values, hopes, and concerns that are incorporated in these visions are analyzed by a multidisciplinary team of experts that will use them to formulate broader recommendations for bioenergy and biofuels policy on EU and national level. These recommendations will then be presented to citizens for validation and prioritization to ensure legitimacy and loyalty to the initial visions.
Citizens consultation process
A total of 108 participants from diverse backgrounds took part in the citizen panels in the participating countries. Each citizen panel started with an introductory session explaining the aims and goals of the meeting, as well as an icebreaker activity. The first citizen panel was divided into two thematic sessions – on 1) just transition and social innovation, and 2) on bioenergy, agriculture and forestry. Citizens were introduced to the main definitions and challenges related to these topics. Within those two sessions, participants took part in two exercises – looking into the past and looking into the future.
Vision-making process
An integral part of the first citizen panel was the vision-making process. A definition of a vision was given to the participants:
- an imagination of a desirable future;
- it is feasible – possible to imagine and to realise;
- articulated in present time;
- simple, short, and positive statements.
Learn more about the citizen visions collected here.
Attitudes toward bioenergy
Participants were given a set of questionnaires before, during and after the citizen panels to assess their attitudes toward EU policy-making, bioenergy and biofuels, and provide feedback and evaluation of the panels. Questions were asked about the importance of bioenergy as a contributor to the decarbonisation of different sectors, the sustainability of bioenergy, and the role of citizen engagement for increased understanding and wider uptake of different technological solutions. Below are some of the key takeaways gathered from the consultations.
The level of trust in bioenergy as a sustainable solution increased moderately after the second citizen panel compared to the first citizen panel.
Source CSD
Legend: The proportion of participants who answered “to a large extent” moderately increased for female and male participants before and after the citizen panel. The slightly lower proportion of participants who answered “to a great extent” can be attributed to an overestimation before the citizen panel compared to after.
The share of participants who reported being well-informed increased drastically after the end of the citizen panels, mostly among female participants. In addition, 40% of participants reported they are very likely to continue to get informed about bioenergy.
Participant answers to the question “In your opinion, how informed are you about bioenergy and its potential developments that address important societal challenges?”
Source CSD
Legend: The proportion of participants who answered “well informed” increased significantly before and after the citizen panel, especially for female participants – with 30%.
Participants were most concerned about water scarcity and biodiversity degradation when thinking about the future.
Source CSD
Participants perceived bioenergy as most important for the decarbonisation of the transport and industry sectors.
What did we learn about social acceptance of bioenergy?
The outcome of these questionnaires showed that within the four countries, public knowledge and awareness of bioenergy is relatively low. This is in line with academic literature depicting low knowledge of bioenergy compared to solar and wind energy. Increasing knowledge, even if subjective, can positively influence the acceptance of a renewable energy source. The current lack of involvement of social actors in the decision-making process also creates a distorted picture of the priorities to be set and limits the possibilities for effective bioenergy policy-making.
The lack of social acceptance of bioenergy may be a significant barrier to success in energy transition policies. Therefore, it is paramount to adopt strategies to involve citizens in the critical policy creation stages to give greater agency to citizen perspectives and avoid the public backlash of new solutions entering the EU market. To overcome this challenge, it is vital to actively involve citizens in the decision-making process from the earliest stages of policy formulation. This engagement ensures that citizens feel heard and can contribute their perspectives, fostering a sense of ownership over the outcomes. It also helps in addressing concerns before they escalate into significant public opposition or backlash.
By co-creating policies with citizens, governments can tailor regional and national agendas that better reflect the needs and priorities of local communities. This method of engagement can lead to more meaningful economic transformation by aligning policy with real-world needs. Additionally, citizen participation can help generate innovative ideas that policymakers might overlook. These ideas can span technological innovations, societal shifts, or environmental protections that align with broader sustainability goals.
A significant benefit of citizen engagement in bioenergy policy-making is the potential for driving economic transformation. Through innovative solutions co-developed with citizens, there is an opportunity to pivot the economy towards greener practices and renewable energy, fostering long-term sustainability. Citizens, especially those affected by such transformations, can offer valuable insights into how these shifts might be implemented in a way that minimizes disruption to livelihoods while maximizing positive outcomes.
Additional resources:
Citizen brochures on bioenergy
