Caught in Diversification : methodological pluralism to review and investigate local climate mitigation actions in Taichung City, Taiwan

Abstract: Climate change as an environmental and social phenomenon exacerbates the increasing ecological strain on Earth. Therefore, a plethora of measures is needed to get onto a more sustainable track towards a low-carbon society. We need to act fast as we are approaching the point of no return. Many strategies to mitigate and stabilise the climate have been developed, one of them being low-carbon initiatives. But the real question is: are they not rather maintaining the status quo under the guise of climate change action? My thesis sets out to investigate the local dimensions of Taichung City’s low-carbon initiative in Taiwan via a single case study. The unit of analysis being the implementation processes of that low-carbon initiative. A mixed method approach was applied as a toolset to collect data. Taichung City as a 2-wheel society is encircled by rural areas. There is a diversity of actors, technologies and policies surrounding this initiative that raise one key research question (RQ): How important are local context-specific factors in low-carbon initiatives to enable a sustainability transition? Transitions do not only affect societal structures, as the social systems are entangled with the natural systems. But transitions are also deeply political. Therefore, the system boundaries can be summarized as being socio-technical-ecological. Analytical frameworks applied were the multi-level perspective and the typology of regional diversification. The results suggest that the rural district Xinshe, although other rural areas are descriptively mentioned in the governmental white papers, is not included by collaborating with them through projects. This leads to the conclusion that Taichung City’s low-carbon initiative is not acknowledging its local context, that is the social focus on motor scooters and the sufficient inclusion of its rural district Xinshe. With the shortcomings found, Taichung City rather maintains the status quo instead of getting onto a low-carbon pathway.