The SoGreen Module: Investigating the social aspects of the green transition

Esma Savas , NIDI
Vytenis Deimantas, SHARE

The green transition refers to the shift towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly economy to address the existential threats of climate change and environmental degradation. As part of this effort, the European Green Deal serves as Europe’s growth strategy, aiming to transform the region into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy. Launched in December 2019, it aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, while promoting clean energy, sustainable industry, green transport, and biodiversity (The European Green Deal, 2020). Achieving ambitious targets related to climate neutrality by 2050 requires fundamental transformation of energy, transport, and production systems, that will have an impact on economies, societies, territories, and people. Ensuring that the green transition is inclusive and equitable is a major concern. The SoGreen Module specifically addresses key challenges arising from climate change and sustainability policies, ensuring that data collection captures the individual attitudes and behaviours which lead to social consequences of these shifts. The SoGreen module addresses the social aspects of the green transition through a collaboration among four leading social science research infrastructures in Europe (European Social Survey (ESS), Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), and Growing Up In Digital Europe (GUIDE)) using a new survey module that can be linked to contextual and geospatial information related to climate and environment. This integrated approach supports the identification of gaps in policy impact and ensures that responses are grounded in both individual perceptions and objective environmental conditions.

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 Presented in Session P3. Families, Fertility, and the Life Course 3