Meet Claire Dupont

Prof Dr Claire Dupont is Research Professor of European and International Governance at Ghent University, Belgium. Her research is focused on the policy, politics and governance of the transformation to sustainability and climate neutrality in Europe. “I am interested in how and why the EU and its member states adopt certain policies towards sustainability and not others. I investigate the extent to which climate change and sustainability are integrated across policies and sectors to respond effectively to the scale and scope of the sustainability challenge,” explains Claire.

Together with Paula Kivimaa, she chairs EASAC’s Working Group of the Security of Sustainable Energy Supplies (SoSES). The project is working on a comprehensive account of current scientific knowledge on the topic.

Security of supply is a topic of great interest and great dispute in Brussels, which is why Claire expects the Security of Sustainable Energies Supply study to have immense added value, both for advancing knowledge and for underpinning robust policymaking.

Energy choices are not made in a vacuum

The multidisciplinary perspective of the 27 energy scholars involved assures a nuanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities surrounding the urgent need to shift to sustainable and secure energy supplies. Says Claire: “The choices underpinning the governance of our energy security by states, companies, policymakers, and consumers are not made in a vacuum, but within the context of wider societal, social, legal, economic, cultural and political changes, and geopolitical shifts. Understanding the potential windows for societal and policy change is a key strength of social sciences. This is essential for the energy transition, for which many of the technical solutions have long been known and available.”

European Green Deal a strong foundation for security of supply

Energy consumption in the EU continues to be an important source of greenhouse gas emissions and relies on imports of fossil fuels. Therefore, Claire is convinced that policies to reduce energy consumption, and to accelerate the roll-out of renewable energy in the EU contribute both to climate goals and to increasing our energy security.

Her wish for the EU is that it achieves its ‘man on the moon’ moment. “The European Green Deal is a strong foundation for the shift to sustainable energy security, especially with the climate neutrality goal at its heart. I hope that short-term pressures and political distractions do not cause the EU to lose sight of the urgent need to shift away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible, to speed up the implementation of policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to build resilience in the face of the impacts of climate change that we are already experiencing, and will experience with more intensity in the years to come.”

Living in Belgium: “The other person looked at me like I was crazy”

While working on getting people on board with the changes that need to be made, Claire also knows a thing or two about the difficulties of change. When she first moved from Ireland to Belgium, near to the heart of European policymaking, she remembers struggling to adjust to the fact that people do not so easily talk to each other. “In Ireland, we usually chat to each other, even in the cities, and even if we are complete strangers. I will never forget the day that I was waiting at the tram stop with one other person a few weeks after arriving in Brussels. As is usually done in Ireland, I smiled and said hello. The other person looked at me like I was crazy, and when we got on the tram, they sat as far away from me as possible!”

Meanwhile, she has been living in Ghent since 2017, and really likes the city. Her French and Dutch are both now at a good enough level to even understand some jokes, and she enjoys Belgian/Flemish humour. “I have also learned that being invited into the home of a Belgian is one of the highest honours I could receive!” she says with a smile.