Challenges of coordination between climate and technology policies: a case study of strategies in Denmark and the UK

The issue of climate change raises new requirements for the way our societies work, and in particular how energy is provided. Even though climate policy is regarded as being crucial in most European countries, the coordination of technology and climate policy proves difficult. Sometimes the interaction of climate and technology policy even leads to unintended and undesirable results. In the case of Denmark for instance it has been stated, that the Kyoto process has led to a decrease in technological innovation in the energy sector. This paper looks closer into the challenges and experiences of the coordination between climate and technology policy applying a case study approach focusing on the experiences in two countries: Denmark and the UK. The case studies provide important lessons how important flexibility and continues policy learning and its institutionalization will be on the way towards a low carbon society. However, it becomes clear that the price of this flexibility is the risk of "symbolic action", respectively postponing emission reduction measures. From a theoretical point the study is informed by the literature on the dimensions of policy learning and the findings of innovation and transition studies.