Social Research Network 2015

Publication Overview

This work looked into adopting a place-based approach to better understand responses of the public to the siting of projects involving low-carbon technologies. The research examined public reactions to an offshore wind farm, a power line proposal and a tidal energy project in the UK. Theorising the concept of ‘place’ has two aspects to it – a place as a locus of attachment/identity and a place as a centre of meaning. With the latter, these meanings are not fixed and people have different thoughts or feelings about them. ‘Place attachment’ describes the emotional bonds between people and particular environments (which can be attachment or non-attachment), where ‘place identity’ refers to the ways in which places reflect and maintain identities for individuals or groups. This work argues the value of capturing place attachments and their related meanings to explain local responses to siting of infrastructure proposals, but notes that each in isolation is insufficient to explain why. It was felt that there is value in conducting and comparing multiple case studies across contexts and sectors to further examine the influence of place on consumers.

Publication Summary

The following recommendations were made by attendees at the end of the fifth IEAGHG Social Research Network Meeting:

• Continue to broaden the Network’s focus by inviting delegates from the general energy sector
• Broaden focus also by examining other low carbon technologies and related, applicable social science research across the whole realm of climate change technology – not just CCS
• Produce a quarterly summary of those in the Networks’ current focus of research and disseminate as appropriate
• Encourage more research into the methodology of social science research in climate change
• Consider future research questions by trying to identify current knowledge gaps.