Why rationale matters in energy and climate policy

This chapter considers how in the era of climate change mitigation the rationale for energy policies is often multi-faceted, encompassing various social and economic impacts. The study of policy rationale is important as how the nature and the distribution of impacts is recognized helps to shape the overall design and stability of policy. This chapter sets out how policies for home energy retrofit, transportation and smart metering are all affected by a multiple benefit rationale. Retrofit is seen as a means of lowering emissions, addressing fuel poverty and improving public health. In transport policy, climate commitments work alongside public health and economic arguments to bolster the case for transition. Smart metering meanwhile is rationalized as offering benefits to consumers and suppliers, with this distribution of benefits creating uncertainty as to why the policy is in place. The chapter concludes by considering how rationale might affect a critical area of climate policy, heat decarbonisation.