Aesthetic Evaluation of Landscape Changes in the Context of Energy Transition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12495199 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kira Meyer (0000-0003-4608-8661, Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften Kiel, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1187-7863 • E-ISSN: 1573-322X |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10806-026-09974-8 |
| OpenAlex | W7134837437 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 17 |
The European Union’s energy transition, which targets climate neutrality by 2050, is reshaping landscapes through the rapid expansion of infrastructure for renewable energy. While this transformation’s ecological and technical aspects have been extensively studied, its aesthetic considerations remain undervalued, and are often dismissed as merely subjective. This article argues that aesthetic experiences constitute part of nature’s eudaimonic intrinsic value, and thus carry ethical weight. It examines three approaches to evaluating aesthetic impacts: (1) Landscape Character Assessment (LCA), (2) atmospheric aesthetics, and (3) landscapes as material horizons of meaning. The analysis highlights the limitations of methods that objectify aesthetic experiences, such as LCA, and shows that a synthesis of atmospheric and horizon-of-meaning approaches is especially promising, as it connects embodied, sensory perception with the cultural, historical, and collective dimensions of landscapes’ value. Aesthetic arguments, when properly theorized, can inform democratic deliberations on landscape change, counter accusations of subjectivity, and guide the design of renewable energy projects as integral elements of their surroundings rather than alien impositions. The study concludes that incorporating aesthetic reasoning into sustainable energy transitions strengthens their normative foundations by fostering emotional attachment, cultural integration, and environmentally virtuous dispositions
Climate change · Context (archaeology · Energy (signal processing · Energy transition · Normative · Perception · Sustainability · Transdisciplinarity · Ecology, Conservation, and Geographical Studies · Environmental Philosophy and Ethics · Social Acceptance of Renewable Energy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |