The mythology of energy transitions: Rethinking FAIRy tales in postnormal times

Telling the story of the future requires a thoughtful and multifaceted approach. Dialogues experienced as complex and problematic due to different (hidden) agendas. In the energy transition, assumptions often refer to much wider expectations of actors. Humans ceaselessly mythologize their environment. In doing so, the future is used as a principle to inspire action. This led to the following research question: How can mythologies help to understand power relations in the energy transition and create new forms of agency among the different roles that are at play? Building on the work of Haarbosch et al. (2021), we continued analysing the future “narrative mismatches” in the context of the Dutch energy transition. The open answers of a large survey (N=2500) about energy justice were compared with myths using a Causal Layered Analysis ( Inayatullah, 2004 ). The results highlight how conceptualisations of characters were destabilised since the introduction of time as measurable item, and how this led to redefined ideas of ‘us’ and ‘them’ and consequently to new experiences of (non) belonging . Our results show that mythologies in present times lacked three key themes; relevant role models, loyality and to whom, agency over the story being constructed. We close our paper with a suggestion to craft stories of hope. • Storytelling has the ability improve the relationship between citizens and policy • Storytelling allows us to connect with the emotional and experiential aspects of those potential worlds. • Through mythology and belonging, s tories of hope can motivate people to engage in collective action and to find meaning and purpose in their lives. • We need more than research or predictions—we need a multitude of relevant stories that are aligned with the lived realities of various actors.