About the project

Introduction

We focus on Estonian energy, mobility, and communication systems. Estonian energy and mobility systems are—based on the experiences of Western countries—outdated. Both systems have major negative environmental impacts. Moreover, a small area of Estonia and its inhabitants must carry most of these impacts which increases social inequality. Estonia’s success in ICT can be a life jacket. However, the experiences of those ahead of us on the industrialization journey, implies that the wrong implementation of ICT can paradoxically worsen both the environmental impacts and increase social inequality. By analyzing the history of Estonian energy, mobility, and communications systems, we are looking for ways to steer these systems on a sustainable and just path without repeating the mistakes of other industrial societies.

The teams

1st team

The historians

We are researching the formation of Estonian socio-technical systems. We are looking into what characterises the systems now and trying to understand the lingering impact of path-dependence. This helps us to better understand what’s aiding and hindering our future choices.

The team:

Olaf Mertelsmann Professor at University of Tartu

Erki Tammiksaar Senior Researcher at University of Tartu and Estonian University of Life Sciences

Aro Velmet Assistant Professor at University of Southern California

Tambet Muide

PhD Researcher at University of Tartu

2nd team

The measurers of industrial modernity

We are aiming to measure if, during the 20th century, there was a rupture in the fabric of industrial modernity. If there was, it could be an indication of good news: a Second Deep Transition might already be on its way. We are using both text mining and existing databases to conclude.

The team:

Laur Kanger Senior Researcher at University of Tartu and Research Fellow at University of Sussex

Peeter Tinits PhD Researcher and Specialist at University of Tartu

Ene Selart Research Fellow at University of Tartu

Anna-Kati Pahker PhD Researcher at University of Tartu

3rd team

The makers of interventions

We are co-creating interventions with experts and interest groups to accelerate the transitions of Estonian energy and mobility systems while keeping an eye on the communication system. We are using the Delphi method and workshops to evaluate possible interventions and create visions for the future.