Environmental quality and household energy vulnerability during global energy-sector disruptions: an adaptive indicator-based framework with evidence from Lithuania

Purpose Global crises and disruptions increasingly affect energy systems in ways that extend beyond market outcomes to environmental quality pressures and household vulnerability. However, crisis-impact evidence remains fragmented, limiting its usability for integrated monitoring and prioritisation. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes an adaptive, indicator-based framework to identify environmental quality and household energy vulnerability impact domains of global crises affecting the energy sector and demonstrates its application using Lithuania during the initial COVID-19 crisis phase. The framework integrates four domains (energy demand and energy efficiency; air pollution and emissions pressures; renewable energy development; household energy vulnerability) operationalised through 33 sub-indicators drawn from Eurostat, national statistics and a complementary household survey. Findings Results indicate crisis-period reallocation patterns rather than uniform sectoral contraction: aggregate final energy consumption declined while residential electricity and gas use increased; NO2 concentrations and emissions from stationary sources decreased; renewable capacity and renewable shares increased, reflecting both continued deployment and demand-related shifts and EU-SILC energy poverty outcomes did not worsen in 2020 despite rising electricity prices and reported affordability constraints, suggesting time lags between pressure indicators and deprivation measures. Originality/value The framework contributes by integrating environmental quality, energy-system and household vulnerability indicators within one monitoring structure, thereby enabling crisis-period signals to be interpreted jointly rather than as separate environmental, energy or social outcomes. Designed for use across crisis episodes and phases, the framework supports integrated monitoring and evidence-informed prioritisation under uncertainty in Lithuania and comparable EU contexts.