New New Year's Resolutions
Seeking greater diversity of voices, aiming for greater diversity of letters
Dear people,
Exactly one year ago, I wrote my opening salvo for 2020 bearing the message “we need more social science in the energy field”. One year later, I’d say that’s still true! What appears to be changing, though, is that it’s no longer just social scientists like me banging their own drums.
As climate heating is ramping up and starting to act as a pressure cooker, there is greater recognition of the social dimensions of the sustainable transitions. It’s a recognition that changes to our societal infrastructures are going to impact people profoundly and that they should have a say about this, and will have a say about it, whether we proactively seek out their perspectives or not. Basically, a greater recognition that, in order to get this right, we need to meet people where they are at.
That puts a publication like this in a unique position. There is no time like the present to get policy makers and energy professionals the conceptual resources and sources of inspiration they will need. That was and still is the main mission that drives this newsletter: to help people who work on energy transitions understand and think through the social ramifications of the challenge we face.
At the same time, as I have seen this publication grow subscribers over the last year, the ratio of social scientists to practitioners has become increasingly lopsided. Obviously, I am glad to have been of some service to scientists, but in order for this newsletter to succeed in its mission, that imbalance needs to be redressed.
Now, the way this newsletter has spread from mailbox to mailbox is partly a network effect. As a social scientist, I knew lots of other social scientists and they know more social scientists still. However, it may also be the result of the kind of texts I have been writing. Already last year, my resolution was to create a greater diversity of content, which would cater to a greater diversity of people. I have only partially succeeded at this.
It would also help its mission if, er, the newsletter would come out more frequently. The weekly cadence I started out with requires a kind of maniacal dedication that I can’t muster anymore, as I have picked up other extracurricular activities as well. But I even failed at maintaining the bi-weekly rhythm I set for myself over the last few months.
So, 2021: time for a fresh start and a fresh tack! 🎆
I would like to open up this publication to other writers. Having other writers is like a stone that will kill two birds (if that’s your thing): it should diversify the content and it will increase the frequency of the posts. It might even buy me the time I need to experiment with new kinds of posts as well.
So, if you’re reading this and thinking, ‘cool!’, then:
I would also encourage you to experiment as well: whether it be in narrative form, use of visuals or audio, or something else I haven’t even thought of.
I’m open to all topics, set in any place, as long as it has something to do with energy production, distribution or consumption.
There’s a few additional criteria: this newsletter popularizes social science, so posts should be informed by social science; it should be around a 1,000 words, if it’s a typical written post. I’ll reserve some editing prerogatives 😊.
Your support
Now, I have written this newsletter in my free time, which is also my prerogative 😉, but I am uncomfortable asking others to dedicate their time without some sort of remuneration. I’m sure that you feel the same way. There is enough unpaid labour to go around.
That is why I would like to start asking for your support as a paid subscriber soon. Your contributions will allow me to offer at least a symbolic recompense for people’s efforts. The newsletter will stay free for all. To earn your support, the newsletter will also actually come out at least every fortnight, and I hope to fill up the gaps in between with some of your own contributions.
There is another thing I would like to ask: will you help me redress the balance and get out the social scientific word to the places where it could matter? As soon as you feel comfortable recommending this publication (in terms of form and content), can you forward it to anyone in the professional field you think might be interested in it or otherwise benefit from the sort of topics we cover here?
If you have other tips for how I could realize the newsletter’s main mission, do let me know!
For now, I wish you shiny happy people in your 2021, and some shiny exciting nuggets of insight for good measure too.
Best,
Marten