The Beyond Oil 2025 conference, hosted by the Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation at the University of Bergen, marked its 10th anniversary with a powerful call to rethink societal futures beyond oil. Against the backdrop of accelerating climate risks beyond the 1.5°C threshold, the event brought together leading social scientists and humanities scholars to grapple with foundational questions of energy justice, governance, and transition.
Empowered Futures members were at the heart of these discussions, contributing cutting-edge research and critical perspectives across multiple sessions.
Day one highlights
The opening day set the tone for the conference with two thought-provoking presentations from EF scholars. Angela Antle, from Memorial University in Newfoundland, examined the political narratives surrounding Equinor’s Bay du Nord project in her talk, “‘Low carbon’ oil as climate solution in advanced petrostates?: Canadian and Norwegian political rhetoric.” Through a detailed discourse analysis of policy documents and public statements, Angela revealed how framing oil extraction as “low carbon” perpetuates carbon lock-in and delays genuine transition pathways. Her work highlighted the risks of positioning continued extraction as a climate solution, showing how such rhetoric obscures environmental and social costs and undermines commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Caroline Buus Ponthieu, representing NTNU, followed with an incisive exploration of the geopolitics of critical minerals in the EU’s energy transition. Her presentation, “EU’s energy transition: geopolitics, critical minerals and justice,” unpacked the paradox of moving beyond oil while deepening dependencies on resources such as nickel, lithium, and cobalt. Caroline’s analysis focused on the EU’s strategic partnerships and moral narratives of justice and sustainability, revealing tensions between claims of fairness and extractive ambitions in overseas countries and territories (OCTs) like New Caledonia. Her work raised pressing questions about sovereignty, self-determination, and the ethics of resource governance in a rapidly changing energy landscape.
Day two: A deep dive into futures
The second day of the conference was equally dynamic, with EF members presenting research that interrogated imaginaries, justice, and lived experiences of transition. Maria Meyer from the University of Agder delivered a systematic review of the concept of “desirable futures” within sociotechnical imaginaries and energy justice literature. By analyzing nearly a hundred scholarly works, Maria mapped how visions of the future are constructed and contested, and how normative ideas of justice – procedural, distributional, and recognition-based – intersect with technological imaginaries. Her research calls for greater clarity on what constitutes a “just” or “desirable” energy future and how these imaginaries influence real-world policy and innovation.
Greg Grant of NMBU challenged assumptions about the inherent fairness of renewable energy development in his paper, “The Politics of Landscape and Justice in Scotland’s Post-Oil Transition.” Using Dumfries and Galloway as a case study, Greg introduced the concept of “landscape extractivism,” showing how rural areas become sacrifice zones for national climate targets. His analysis of planning inquiries revealed how expert-driven assessments marginalize local knowledge, undermining procedural and recognition justice. Greg argued for a shift toward landscape democracy and governance models that prioritize community agency.
Sharayu Shejale from the University of Geneva brought the discussion to urban India with her ethnographic research in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Surat. Her presentation illuminated the lived realities of heat stress and adaptation, exploring institutional and individual strategies for cooling and the imaginaries embedded within these practices. By foregrounding participatory workshops and community voices, Sharayu demonstrated how everyday coping mechanisms can inform more inclusive and resilient energy futures.
Angela Antle returned for the final panel discussion, offering reflections on the interplay between political rhetoric, policy inertia, and justice in shaping transition pathways. The day’s highlight was the Early Career Researcher Keynote by Lara Santos Ayllón of the University of Edinburgh: “Making just energy futures from the ground up: Insights from the Orkney Islands.” Lara’s keynote contrasted extractive, status-quo futures with visions rooted in redistribution, solidarity, and collective responsibility. Her nuanced discussion of power, agency, and multi-scalar interdependencies sparked a rich dialogue on the complexities of local energy transitions.
Beyond Presentations: Building Skills and Community
The conference concluded with a publications workshop for climate and energy social science researchers, led by Håvard Haarstad and Per Gunnar Røe, with invaluable input from Andy Stirling (University of Sussex). Participants refined manuscripts, exchanged strategies, and gained insights into publishing in top-tier journals.
EF member Greg Grant reflected:
“Participating in the PhD communication workshop with Prof Andy Stirling, Havard Harstad and Per Gunnar Roe at the Beyond Oil Conference was a nourishing and motivating experience. The expert guidance on academic writing and publishing was invaluable, but what made it most inspiring was the open dialogue and peer exchange with fellow participants. Sharing challenges and insights together not only sharpened my skills but also deepened my sense of gratitude for the supportive academic community that has been fostered by both the Empowered Futures research school and the Beyond Oil Conference. I left the workshop both inspired and encouraged to approach my research writing with more confidence and with new collaborations to look forward to.”
Looking Ahead
Beyond Oil 2025 reaffirmed EF’s commitment to critical, interdisciplinary dialogue on just and sustainable energy futures. From unpacking political rhetoric to envisioning desirable futures and engaging in hands-on writing workshops, EF members demonstrated the power of collaborative scholarship in shaping pathways beyond oil.