What role does the state play in the fight against the climate crisis? In the "Nature Perspectives" format, scientists led by Ulrich Brand from the Institute of Political Science at the University of Vienna, the Institute for International Development at the University of Vienna, BOKU Vienna and WU Vienna analyze the structural limits of the state’s ability to act in the transition to climate neutrality. They argue that the existing structure of Western states is contributing to the current regression of climate policy. What is needed are new state structures that focus more on reducing energy consumption, social justice and democratic participation than on economic growth. The analysis has recently been published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
To date, there have been few systematic social science studies on the question of why governments in OECD countries are not achieving the targets they have set themselves to combat climate change. Ulrich Brand, Alina Brad and Gabriel Eyselein from the Institute of Political Science and Etienne Schneider from the Institute for International Development at the University of Vienna, together with Melanie Pichler and Danyal Maneka from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Daniel Hausknost from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and Mathias Krams from Goethe University Frankfurt/Main, analyze the structural limits that states face in combating climate change.
"Since the Paris Climate Conference in 2015, we have seen the emergence of an ambitious, state-driven decarbonization strategy in the OECD world: it is no longer just about technological improvements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Rather, governments are aiming for more far-reaching changes with major political projects such as the European Green Deal - by intervening more strongly in production and consumption and thus in the fossil-fuel-driven growth engine, which is to be placed on a renewable energy basis," explains Ulrich Brand. By switching to renewable energies and corresponding technologies, the aim is to decouple economic growth on the one hand from resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions on the other. Internationally, "green" technologies are intended to increase competitiveness and economic growth.
However, these strategies come up against the limits of the core functions of the state: the OECD countries are structured along liberal-capitalist lines - in simple terms, this means that they are dependent on an expanding economy that is still largely based on fossil fuels for their tax revenues and therefore their room for maneuver. This in turn strengthens the legitimacy of governments. State-driven decarbonization runs counter to these principles because it slows down the growth momentum of fossil industries and strongly interferes with people’s fossil-based everyday lives. This leads to resistance in politics and society. "The major regression in climate policy that we are currently witnessing live is also linked to a fundamental problem: Decarbonization requires state intervention in the economy and everyday life, the state is becoming more visible. This is often perceived as a restriction and weakens support for climate-friendly alternatives, especially if they are not available or affordable. The climate-sceptic right becomes stronger, targets and measures for climate protection are watered down or even dismantled," says Daniel Hausknost from WU Vienna and co-author of the study.
"So far, social science analyses on the question of why countries fail to achieve the goals they have set themselves to combat the climate crisis have mainly focused on a lack of political will. Our analysis shows that, in addition to tangible power interests and lobbying, the reduction of fossil fuels and CO2 emissions also comes up against the structural limits of the state," says co-author Melanie Pichler from the Institute of Social Ecology at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna: "Overcoming the climate crisis therefore not only means a different climate policy, but also a transformation of the state itself."
What is therefore needed are "government policies that promote the decarbonization of resource- and emissions-intensive industries as well as their gradual dismantling in order to curb greenhouse gas emissions. However, this requires a so-called ’transformation state’ that is not dependent on constant economic growth and tax revenues from the fossil fuel sectors. The welfare state would have to be renewed in a climate-friendly way and democratic participation strengthened," says Alina Brad from the Department of Political Science at the University of Vienna. For the analysis, the relevant literature was evaluated, current developments interpreted and new perspectives and concepts developed. The aim is to initiate comprehensive research into one of the most pressing issues of our time.
according to Daniel Hausknost from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, government policies that reduce the growth dynamics in resource- and emission-intensive sectors and thus curb greenhouse gas emissions are therefore essential. However, this requires a so-called "transformation state" that is not dependent on constant economic growth and tax revenues from the fossil fuel sectors. The welfare state must be renewed in a climate-friendly way and democratic participation must be strengthened. For the study, the relevant literature was evaluated, current developments interpreted and an independent argument developed. The aim is to initiate comprehensive research into one of the most pressing issues of our time.
Ulrich Brand and Alina Brad are members of the interdisciplinary Environment and Climate Research Network at the University of Vienna. This brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to gain excellent scientific knowledge that can provide solutions to pressing problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss and environmental pollution
Original publication:
Ulrich Brand, Daniel Hausknost, Alina Brad, Gabriel Eyselein, Mathias Krams, Danyal Maneka, Melanie Pichler, Etienne Schneider, Limitations of the Decarbonization State. In Nature Climate Change.DOI: 10.1038/s41558-025-02394-y
