Walking with Energy: Challenging energy invisibility and connecting citizens with energy futures through participatory research

Ambrose, Aimee

doi:10.1016/j.futures.2020.102528

Cited by 27 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Many states returned to regulated systems, and now there are only about a dozen unregulated electricity markets remaining in the United States [173]. Today, the vast majority of the country, including Puerto Rico, remains subject to electricity monopolies, and the relative invisibility of the energy system-in that the public enjoys its benefits, but only a small percentage of people see energy infrastructure besides power lines-may allow the public to accept a lack of participation [174]. Without this public participation, the energy system has played an outsized role in the slow violence of climate change xxxi and the other negative health impacts from burning fossil fuels [151], including millions of annual deaths worldwide solely from particulate matter from fossil fuels [175], not even counting deaths from the impacts of climate change.…”

Section: Review Of Literature Interventions and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solving Problems like Maria: A Case Study and Review of Collaborative Hurricane-Resilient Solar Energy and Autogestión in Puerto Rico

2020

J Sustain Res

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Section: Review Of Literature Interventions and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solving Problems like Maria: A Case Study and Review of Collaborative Hurricane-Resilient Solar Energy and Autogestión in Puerto Rico

2020

J Sustain Res

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“…This has been shown to reduce active participation in energy issues (Ryghaug et al, 2018). Even when the impacts of energy are omnipresent, visible and invisible, in everyone's everyday life (Ambrose, 2020), the dominant consumerism focus of energy governance has been shown to alienate people from being political subjects-or energy citizens-in the public realm. Namely, to actually engage with have a voice, and be able to influence energy decision-making processes (Lennon et al, 2020;Levenda et al, 2020).…”

Section: The Need For Critical Ssh Energy Research For Pedsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critical Framework to Develop Human-Centric Positive Energy Districts: Towards Justice, Inclusion, and Well-Being

Nguyen

Batel

2021

Front. Sustain. Cities

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Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) are a new energy initiative from European member states. They are, simply put, local districts which produce more energy than they consume. PEDs are expected to adopt a more human-centric perspective in order to create more liveable and sustainable urban neighbourhoods. However, as previous research on energy transitions has demonstrated, the mainstream approach and technocratic tradition of research and policy vis-à-vis energy transitions could result in the perpetuation of social inequalities, energy injustices, and the passive participation of citizens also within PEDs. Hence, it is crucial in these early days of PEDs to discuss what a human-centric approach should entail and how it should be enacted. Based on a narrative literature review of critical social sciences' energy research (and specifically from social and environmental psychology), this paper will propose a critical framework containing five key dimensions which are relevant for creating more just and inclusive PEDs. These are: uncertainty, risk perception and trust; distributive justice; recognition justice and people-place relations; procedural justice; and, routines, capabilities and lived experiences. To that end, it will also discuss the different implications of mainstream and critical approaches in energy research and social sciences in relation to the deployment of human-centric PEDs. The review concludes that in order to successfully deploy human-centric PEDs, a critical approach is needed and presents some concrete recommendations for future research and policy in order to adopt such an approach. These include: considering justice, inclusion and the well-being of affected socio-ecological systems in the whole-life cycle of PEDs; better integration of indigenous capabilities; and, an ethos of de-growth and circularity in their deployment.

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“…The idea to use walks to discuss research or to gather data is not entirely new. Ambrose ( 2020 ) provides a literature review in her essay on energy walks pointing out walking interviews and the importance of oral histories in this context. Although her walk focused on energy, there is a striking parallel to water when she says: ‘Citizens therefore lack the basic knowledge required to make an assessment of the ethical, environmental and economic implications of the choices made on our behalves and our contemporary relationship with energy is arguably one characterised by complete dependency and almost complete ignorance’ (ibid.).…”

Section: Drought Walksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public Engagement with Drought and Water Scarcity Research

Grecksch

2021

Drought and Water Scarcity in the UK

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This chapter makes a contribution to the discussion on public engagement with research. Hence, the focus is less on the research topic as such but more on the communication and dissemination of drought and water scarcity related research. This chapter presents public engagement with research activities: two water-related walks. First, a waterways walk through Birmingham, UK, that stopped at various places and discussed drought and water scarcity issues with participants. Second, a drought walk through St James’s Park in London used to disseminate a primer document and highlight issues of public water supply and its function in public spaces. This chapter presents these activities to frame a necessary discussion about the need for better communication of drought and water scarcity in the UK against the background that the issue is often neglected in public debates about water. At the same time water resources managers at the UK’s water companies report difficulties in communicating the issue despite having supporting data from monitoring and modelling. Hence, a public drought and water scarcity discussion is overdue and, as the examples show, can come in various shapes.

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Walking with Energy: Challenging energy invisibility and connecting citizens with energy futures through participatory research

Cited by 27 publications

References 23 publications

Solving Problems like Maria: A Case Study and Review of Collaborative Hurricane-Resilient Solar Energy and Autogestión in Puerto Rico

Solving Problems like Maria: A Case Study and Review of Collaborative Hurricane-Resilient Solar Energy and Autogestión in Puerto Rico

A Critical Framework to Develop Human-Centric Positive Energy Districts: Towards Justice, Inclusion, and Well-Being

Public Engagement with Drought and Water Scarcity Research

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