This Handbook aims to address the complex interconnections between two transitions that lie at the heart of societal transformations: the dual digital and climate change transitions. Most of the literature treats these two evolutions separately. The originality of this Handbook is that it places interconnections between the twin transitions at the heart of scientific thinking and policy-making. Linkages between these two transitions have been reinforced over the last few years. The energy sector possesses its own characteristics in terms of cybersecurity, which require specific rules that are complementary, but often different from those in other sectors. Digital technologies have also come to play a significant role in terms of promoting the move towards decarbonated energy systems. Smart grids and sophisticated technologies are increasingly relied on to facilitate remote control, network connection and storage for renewable energies. At the same time, new digital technologies, including those related to artificial intelligence, consume vast amounts of energy and are having a growing environmental impact which needs to be factored into the clean energy transition. Interconnections between the dual transitions are also reflected in terms of societal impacts; issues like energy poverty demonstrate how new digital technologies can play a key role in tackling forms of social injustice. This is the first dedicated Handbook on these topics, with the aim of collecting research, thinking and experiences that capture a range of approaches, disciplines, methodologies and perspectives with a global reach, involving case studies from around the world. By seeking to consolidate scholarship from leading experts into a cohesive, interdisciplinary assessment of the subtle interconnections between the twin transitions, this Handbook will provide a much-needed and comprehensive reference work in this emerging field.
