New Policy Brief: Demand-Side Solutions for Tensions in Transitions

Our new policy brief distills insights from the special session organized by EDITS — a global research network on Energy Demand changes Induced by Technological and Social innovations — at the IST’25 Conference (Lisbon, 24–26 June 2025), together with the four EDITS Awarded papers, translating cutting-edge research into concrete actions for policy and practice. It focuses on four pressure points in sustainability transitions — trade-offs (speed–scale–scope), resistance, technological lock-ins, and equity — and shows how demand-side solutions can keep transitions on course for a safer and more sustainable world.

Think social change is slow? Our new brief shows that many social and tech innovations scale at similar speeds—about 30 years in average from 10 to 90%. It reveals how fairness and lived practice boost acceptance of further efficiency, why digital rebound demands interoperability/privacy/audits beyond “efficiency,” and how inequity (e.g., heavy housing costs) stalls momentum. Open it to turn resistance into readiness, guard against lock-ins, and deliver fair, inclusive transitions.

Read the full Policy Brief: Demand-Side Solutions for Tensions in Transitions.