States worldwide are seeking new ways to transform their energy systems towards carbon neutrality. Despite growing awareness of the negative impacts of climate change, the demand for oil and natural gas remains steady in global markets. These fossil fuels have historically been linked to national security and defence. However, the ongoing energy transition and the electrification of societies also have important connections to security policy.
“The goal of my research is to enhance understanding of the intersections between energy and security policies and to demonstrate that decisions are always tied to their temporal and spatial contexts. No decisions emerge in a vacuum; defining security and utilising it in societal discourse are forms of power dynamics,” Marja Helena Sivonen describes.
In academic literature, negative security refers to the highlighted need to defend against an identified threat. A key argument in research is that negative security aspects, such as state-based defence thinking, that are associated with energy transitions, slow down progress even in peacetime.
Key aspect is the citizens trust in the future and in democracy
Although sustainability transitions and energy shifts are broadly shared principles, and significant efforts are made to achieve climate goals at various policy levels and within the energy sector, a narrow focus on state-centric security does not accelerate or enable energy transitions at the required pace. This also does not adequately address aspects of justice, such as social sustainability.
Security, however, can also encompass positive notions, such as enabling a possibility for a good life, a promising future, and new opportunities. Addressing these aspects as part of broad security considerations, especially during major transitions, can lead to fairer policies and more sustainable solutions.
“For example, in practice, this means that when planning wind power production areas or mining projects to meet the increased demand for minerals in the energy transition, the potential impacts should be examined more broadly, and meaningful participation in decision-making should be encouraged,” Sivonen illustrates.
“For instance, as interest in the Arctic region grows in the context of Russia’s war and Finland and Sweden’s NATO memberships, it is essential to ensure that military security is understood as one component of broader security enhancement. The trust of local communities in the future and their confidence in democracy are key factors to achieve a just sustainability transition – and these also enhance overall security,” Sivonen says.
In her article dissertation in sociology, Sivonen explores how the analytical perspective offered by discursive institutionalism sheds light on the cultural contexts and temporal dimensions of transitions in local and regional decision-making.
Originally from Oulu and now based in Tampere, researcher Marja Helena Sivonen has also studied at the University of Aberdeen, the University of Lapland, and the University of Bergen. During her doctoral studies, she has worked as a visiting researcher at the universities of Sussex and Cambridge, as well as at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute. Sivonen is working as a researcher at the Finnish Environment Institute in the Policy and Risks group of the Policy Solution Unit. Her work continues with new projects: REPower-CEST, Challenge-led Innovation Policy, Geopolitical uncertainty and Security (CIPGeS) and Legitimacy and Acceleration in Green Energy Initiatives and Transitions (LEGIT).
Public defence on Friday 7 March
The doctoral dissertation of MSc Marja Helena Sivonen in the field of sociology Petroholism, Competitiveness, and Looking to the West: The construction of security in energy transitions in Estonia, Finland, and Norway (2006–2023) will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Tampere University in K103 auditorium of the Linna building (address: Kalevantie 5, Tampere) at 12.00 on Friday 7 March 2025. The Opponent will be Professor Tuomas Ylä-Anttila from the University of Helsinki. The Custos will be Professor Emeritus Pertti Alasuutari from Tampere University.