On the Edge of Change

When energy transitions are disrupted, who benefits and who pays the price? Transitions to greener energy are often imagined as smooth, technical fixes. In reality, however, they often take place in rural and remote areas, far from centres of consumption and political power, where communities live with the environmental, social, and economic consequences. Energy transitions can disrupt everyday life, affecting livelihoods, identities, and connections to the land. When projects themselves remain 'on the edge'-delayed, contested, or reshaped-they can be both disruptive and generative, opening space for experimentation, dialogue, and new ways of imagining the future. The authors of On the edge of change: Nordic energy transitions disrupted explore energy transitions in the peripheral regions of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. Drawing on both humanities and social science perspectives, the studies examine green investments, colonial legacies, and contested futures, showing how these regions offer vital lessons for shaping conditions for just and sustainable energy transitions.