The industrial decarbonization paradigm: Carbon lock-in or path renewal in the United Kingdom?
研究了英国三大工业集群的脱碳政策，发现主导技术和政府引导可能导致碳锁定，提出通过自下而上的创新政策来降低风险，对关注工业转型和气候政策的学者有参考价值。
Since 2017, industrial policies in the United Kingdom have prioritized revitalizing industrial clusters through subsidies for low-carbon technologies and infrastructure. This study introduces the Industrial Decarbonization Paradigm (IDP) to examine dominant technological designs, policy-driven technological channeling, industrial regimes, and the persistence of path dependence across three major industrial clusters. Drawing on 65 semi-structured interviews, 30 industrial site visits, and extensive analyses of trade and policy documents, the findings reveal significant risks of path dependence and carbon lock-in due to dominant designs of industrial decarbonization technologies, as well as central government-led technological channeling. The research identifies opportunities to mitigate these risks through policies that foster bottom-up innovation and reduce reliance on top-down technological approaches. The study highlights the need for adaptive, decentralized strategies to limit the potential for carbon lock-in and achieve sustainable industrial transformation.