An investigation into the post-coal world

Globalization, digitization, aging of the population, migration: there are millions of people who in this century will see their social, economic and cultural life completely transformed - often distorted. Even the energy transition, if undergone and not managed in the most suitable way, can create an upheaval, especially in regions where the industrial world is still strongly linked to the use of fossil fuels, coal in the first place.

Starting from this assumption, the Entrances project was born which aims to develop new knowledge on the challenges that these regions are facing in their energy transition path. It is funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program, has a duration of three years, is coordinated by the University of La Coruña (Spain) and is implemented by a consortium of 14 partners from 12 European countries.

The transition towards the use of eco-sustainable energy sources cannot, and this is the starting point of the project, be considered only as a technological or industrial change: with the energy transition, people's way of life will profoundly change. , a three hundred and sixty degrees change from a social, psychological and cultural point of view and it is precisely on the study of these enormous changes that the Entrances project will focus

The goal is to arrive at a series of recommendations to facilitate, on a social and economic level, the "post-coal" transition in 13 territories of Europe that have had, or still have, their own economy based on the extraction of coal (or other fossil energy sources).

One of these thirteen territories on which the study will focus is Il Sulcis. It will be carried out by Enea and by Conoscenza e Innovazione (a social research center based in Rome) with the support of the University of Cagliari.

The approach adopted, we read in the information sheet, is that of the focus group that uses participatory mapping as a reference approach: "Qualified informants are invited to discuss and disclose their knowledge of the places, to identify and describe (and therefore map ) the "situations of tension" that have occurred or are still in progress and which are an indicator of stress in the territorial organization. The map will reflect an inside view of the challenges faced by the territory, and will be compared with other available sources of knowledge (data, statistics, previous studies) as well as with the other results of the Entances project ».

Specifically, the territory of reference consists of nine municipalities: Calasetta, Carbonia, Carloforte, Gonnesa, Perdaxius, Portoscuso, San Giovanni Suergiu, Sant'Antioco and Tratalias.

As for the cognitive survey on the territory, this will focus on "Attachment to places and decarbonization": its aim is to understand how decarbonization can have effects on the individual psychological condition and can change the relationship with the territory, including the choice to emigrate . The results of the survey will be compared with those relating to the other 12 European territories included in Entrances.

Participation takes place on a voluntary basis and all information collected is treated anonymously. The survey is addressed to anyone who lives in Sulcis and is "online" until October 15 (perhaps a few more days) at the following link: https://sondaggi.enea.it/index.php/994349 .

Participants are asked to sign the consent form and can withdraw from the research at any time, without the need to provide explanations or be subject to any fine. At the end of the project, all identifiable information will be kept for 5 years in order, if necessary, to be verified by the European Commission. After this 5-year period, all information will be securely stored, accessible only by the project coordinator, for possible future use in subsequent investigations, always respecting the same ethical obligations and limits. The manager of the activities in Sulcis is Giovanni Caiati (tel. 3389478075) who can be contacted to provide all the explanations to those who have questions or doubts.