OPINION Towards more impactful energy research: The salient role of social sciences and humanities Gracia Bru ¨ ckmannID 1 *, Sebastian Berger ID 2 , Hugo Caviola 3 , Ulf J. J. Hahnel 4 , Valentino PianaID 5 , Marlyne SahakianID 6 , Isabelle Stadelmann-SteffenID 1 , with the Swiss Social Science and Humanities Energy Research Group ¶ 1 Institute of Political Science and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 2 Institute of Sociology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 3 Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 4 Faculty of Psychology, Psychology of Sustainability and Behavior Change, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, 5 Institute of Sustainable Energy, HES-SO Valais/Wallis, Haute Ecole de Gestion, Sierre, Switzerland, 6 Department of Sociology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland ¶ Membership list can be found in the Acknowledgments section * gracia.brueckmann@unibe.ch Despite long-standing pleas for interdisciplinarity and a more significant role of social sciences and humanities [1], energy research (ER) largely remains the remit of hard sciences, such as climatology, physics, and engineering. Contributions of social sciences and humanities (SSH) are routinely separated and rarely considered in discussions about energy strategies. This is particularly problematic because citizens have a role to play in the decarbonization of energy systems through the pursuit of more localized and collective forms of renewable energy pro- duction, reduced and more efficient energy usage, and voting for necessary regulatory changes. More generally, social, political, and socio-technical changes will be needed at every scale to ensure a successful energy transition. As “research focused on technological solutions is a crucial enabler for the energy transition but is not enough” [2], we invite scholars from diverse SSH fields,–including but not limited to geographers, historians, philosophers, psychologists, political scientists, linguists, public health experts, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, labor rights experts, experts on demographic change and many more– to intensify joint work on the energy transition. Towards this aim, we engaged with SSH energy researchers in Switzerland towards the promotion of both inter- and trans-disciplinary energy research and practice. As a result of this process and inspired by previous efforts to put forward an SSH research agenda [3], we propose the following five pri- ority directions, which have transformational potential. Language lies at the core of communication. At the same time, the choice of specific words and framings can influence what recipients understand and how they process information. It matters whether we speak of energy production, energy supply, or energy services. Words open frames that carry specific perspectives, values, and attitudes—of which we are frequently unaware. This is particularly relevant in the field of energy studies, which involves many cross- cutting perspectives and topics. In this vein, a better understanding of how language shapes perception, behavior, and practices is needed at different levels. Interdisciplinary research opens opportunities to uncover different understandings of seemingly unproblematic or tech- nical issues towards more effective collaborations and deeper understanding. Language is also significant in transdisciplinary research regarding shared understandings between diverse societal actors, including the general public and its anthropological, psychological, and com- munication determinants of (in-)action. While linguists have provided evidence that language PLOS CLIMATE PLOS Climate | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000132 February 6, 2023 1/4 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 OPEN ACCESS Citation: Bru ¨ckmann G, Berger S, Caviola H, Hahnel UJJ, Piana V, Sahakian M, et al. (2023) Towards more impactful energy research: The salient role of social sciences and humanities. PLOS Clim 2(2): e0000132. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000132 Editor: Jamie Males, PLOS Climate, UNITED KINGDOM Published: February 6, 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Bru ¨ckmann et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work was partially supported by the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Federal Office of Energy, Switzerland, the latter also with the following funding programs and contracts: Gracia Bru ¨ckmann and Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen gratefully acknowledge funding through SWEET EDGE and SWEET SURE. Valentino Piana gratefully acknowledges funding through SWEET LANTERN. Marlyne Sahakian acknowledges funding through SWEET SWICE. Sebastian Berger and Valentino Piana gratefully acknowledge the financial support through the “Energy, Economy, and Society” program (respective grant agreement number: SI/502093- 01 and SI/502172-01). Ulf Hahnel gratefully