Paper short abstract:

We dive into the imaginary of the “Twin Transition” by conducting EU policy analysis, interviews and ethnography with technology development in the field of semiconductors to learn if the “improbable coalition” of the “Twin Transition” could be yet another imaginary of a “technological fix”.

Paper long abstract:

The term “Twin Transition” starts to appear in EU policy documents in 2019 and is picking up speed since then, holding a prominent position in the NextGenerationEU Recovery and Resilience Facility (NGEU/RRF). Promising nothing less than “building the EU back stronger” after the Covid-19 pandemic, the instrument stipulates that at least 20 percent of the funds should be invested in measures towards the pillar of “digital transformation” while at least 37 percent have to be allocated to the “green transition” pillar. In this contribution we ask how the perpetuated imaginary of the “Twin Transition”, as a coalition of the green and digital transition, is constructed. This should be investigated by examining two sites, where these imaginaries are produced and reproduced: policy making and technology development. First, we will present how the imaginary of the “Twin Transition” is shaped by EU policy discourse (with an emphasis on the NGEU/RRF and the Austrian plan). Second, we will show how these imaginaries are produced and reproduced by technology development, i.e. Austrian semiconductor firms. By conducting policy analyses, qualitative interviews and ethnographic field work, we want to show how the imaginary of the “Twin Transition” is constructed. From our research we are suggesting that by following a technosolutionist logic, the promise of the “Twin Transition” might get exposed as yet another “technological fix” for the climate crisis.