Cazcarro, IgnacioGarcía-Gusano, DiegoIribarren, DiegoLinares, PedroRomero, José CarlosArocena, PabloArto, IñakiBanacloche, SantacruzLechón, YolandaMiguel, Luis JavierZafrilla, JorgeLópez, Luis-AntonioLangarita, RaquelCadarso, María-Ángeles2022-01-20Cazcarro , I , García-Gusano , D , Iribarren , D , Linares , P , Romero , J C , Arocena , P , Arto , I , Banacloche , S , Lechón , Y , Miguel , L J , Zafrilla , J , López , L-A , Langarita , R & Cadarso , M-Á 2022 , ' Energy-socio-economic-environmental modelling for the EU energy and post-COVID-19 transitions ' , Science of the Total Environment , vol. 805 , 150329 , pp. 150329 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.1503290048-9697researchoutputwizard: 11556/1229All the authors belong and thank the support to the MENTES net-work on Energy Modelling for a Sustainable Energy Transition, by theSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project/grantRED2018-102794-T).I.A. and I.C. thank the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, In-novation and Universities (MALCON, RTI2018-099858-A-I00), the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714) and Basque Gov-ernment BERC Programme. L.J.M., I.A. and I.C. gratefully acknowledgethe project LOCOMOTION H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2 (No 821105) and L.J.M. MODESLOW, funded under the Spanish National Research, Devel-opment and Innovation Programme (Ministry of Economy and Compet-itiveness of Spain, ref. ECO2017-85110-R). I.C. and R.L thank the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PID2019-106822RB-I00). M.A.C., L.A.L. and J.Z. thank the support of the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the European Fund for Regional Development(FEDER) (Ref. 020-GRIN-29137). P.L. gratefully acknowledges the sup-port of project RTI2018-093692-B-I00 by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCI), the National Research Agency (AEI) and the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER). Y.L. and S.B. gratefully acknowledge the support of project MUSTEC, funded by theEuropean Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 764626.Relevant energy questions have arisen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic shock leads to emissions’ reductions consistent with the rates of decrease required to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. Those unforeseen drastic reductions in emissions are temporary as long as they do not involve structural changes. However, the COVID-19 consequences and the subsequent policy response will affect the economy for decades. Focusing on the EU, this discussion article argues how recovery plans are an opportunity to deepen the way towards a low-carbon economy, improving at the same time employment, health, and equity and the role of modelling tools. Long-term alignment with the low-carbon path and the development of a resilient transition towards renewable sources should guide instruments and policies, conditioning aid to energy-intensive sectors such as transport, tourism, and the automotive industry. However, the potential dangers of short-termism and carbon leakage persist. The current energy-socio-economic-environmental modelling tools are precious to widen the scope and deal with these complex problems. The scientific community has to assess disparate, non-equilibrium, and non-ordinary scenarios, such as sectors and countries lockdowns, drastic changes in consumption patterns, significant investments in renewable energies, and disruptive technologies and incorporate uncertainty analysis. All these instruments will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of decarbonization options and potential consequences on employment, income distribution, and vulnerability.1592217enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessjournal article10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150329Climate changeEnergy transitionSocio-economic modellingEnergy-environmental modellingClimate changeEnergy transitionSocio-economic modellingEnergy-environmental modellingEnvironmental EngineeringEnvironmental ChemistryWaste Management and DisposalPollutionSDG 7 - Affordable and Clean EnergySDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and ProductionSDG 13 - Climate ActionSDG 3 - Good Health and Well-beingSDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic GrowthSDG 10 - Reduced InequalitiesFunding InfoAll the authors belong and thank the support to the MENTES net-work on Energy Modelling for a Sustainable Energy Transition, by theSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project/grantRED2018-102794-T).I.A. and I.C. thank the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, In-novation and Universities (MALCON, RTI2018-099858-A-I00), the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714) and Basque Gov-ernment BERC Programme. L.J.M., I.A. and I.C. gratefully acknowledgethe project LOCOMOTION H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2 (No 821105) and L.J.M. MODESLOW, funded under the Spanish National Research, Devel-opment and Innovation Programme (Ministry of Economy and Compet-itiveness of Spain, ref. ECO2017-85110-R). I.C. and R.L thank the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PID2019-106822RB-I00). M.A.C., L.A.L. and J.Z. thank the support of the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the European Fund for RegiAll the authors belong and thank the support to the MENTES net-work on Energy Modelling for a Sustainable Energy Transition, by theSpanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project/grantRED2018-102794-T).I.A. and I.C. thank the support of the Spanish Ministry of Science, In-novation and Universities (MALCON, RTI2018-099858-A-I00), the Spanish State Research Agency through María de Maeztu Excellence Unit accreditation 2018-2022 (Ref. MDM-2017-0714) and Basque Gov-ernment BERC Programme. L.J.M., I.A. and I.C. gratefully acknowledgethe project LOCOMOTION H2020-LC-CLA-2018-2 (No 821105) and L.J.M. MODESLOW, funded under the Spanish National Research, Devel-opment and Innovation Programme (Ministry of Economy and Compet-itiveness of Spain, ref. ECO2017-85110-R). I.C. and R.L thank the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PID2019-106822RB-I00). M.A.C., L.A.L. and J.Z. thank the support of the University of Castilla-La Mancha and the European Fund for Regihttp://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85115051256&partnerID=8YFLogxK