Energy transitions succeed more readily through replacement of dirty sources than prohibition.

Evidence

However, change comes more easily through replacement than through prohibition. We are now at the dawning of a transformative change in energy production (Gillis, 2014a). Renewable energy, as generated through wind and sun power, is on the rise and costs are dropping sharply. As we have seen, Germany has become the model for this nascent transformative change. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 2940

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Connects to the Grafting & Growth piece: renewable/replacement infrastructure as underused positive design, mirroring trees as living infrastructure that displaces carbon-heavy alternatives.
• SEED: Essay angle: the replacement-not-prohibition principle as a general change strategy applied beyond energy — urban design, diet, media habits.