Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System
Low carbon energy technologies are not deployed in a social vacuum; there are a variety of complex ways in which people understand and engage with these technologies and the changing energy system overall. However, the role of the public’s socio-environmental sensitivities to low carbon energy techn...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2014-01-01
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| Series: | The Scientific World Journal |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/605196 |
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| _version_ | 1832553687390617600 |
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| author | Brighid Moran Jay David Howard Nick Hughes Jeanette Whitaker Gabrial Anandarajah |
| author_facet | Brighid Moran Jay David Howard Nick Hughes Jeanette Whitaker Gabrial Anandarajah |
| author_sort | Brighid Moran Jay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Low carbon energy technologies are not deployed in a social vacuum; there are a variety of complex ways in which people understand and engage with these technologies and the changing energy system overall. However, the role of the public’s socio-environmental sensitivities to low carbon energy technologies and their responses to energy deployments does not receive much serious attention in planning decarbonisation pathways to 2050. Resistance to certain resources and technologies based on particular socio-environmental sensitivities would alter the portfolio of options available which could shape how the energy system achieves decarbonisation (the decarbonisation pathway) as well as affecting the cost and achievability of decarbonisation. Thus, this paper presents a series of three modelled scenarios which illustrate the way that a variety of socio-environmental sensitivities could impact the development of the energy system and the decarbonisation pathway. The scenarios represent risk aversion (DREAD) which avoids deployment of potentially unsafe large-scale technology, local protectionism (NIMBY) that constrains systems to their existing spatial footprint, and environmental awareness (ECO) where protection of natural resources is paramount. Very different solutions for all three sets of constraints are identified; some seem slightly implausible (DREAD) and all show increased cost (especially in ECO). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-732a03b0f4544567b4a784a2fc984c27 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2356-6140 1537-744X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Scientific World Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-732a03b0f4544567b4a784a2fc984c272025-02-03T05:53:32ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/605196605196Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy SystemBrighid Moran Jay0David Howard1Nick Hughes2Jeanette Whitaker3Gabrial Anandarajah4Institute for Energy Systems, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, UKCentre for Ecology and Hydrology, Library Avenue, Lancaster, Bailrigg LA1 4AP, UKCentre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College, 15 Prince’s Gardens, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UKCentre for Ecology and Hydrology, Library Avenue, Lancaster, Bailrigg LA1 4AP, UKUCL Energy Institute, University College London, Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UKLow carbon energy technologies are not deployed in a social vacuum; there are a variety of complex ways in which people understand and engage with these technologies and the changing energy system overall. However, the role of the public’s socio-environmental sensitivities to low carbon energy technologies and their responses to energy deployments does not receive much serious attention in planning decarbonisation pathways to 2050. Resistance to certain resources and technologies based on particular socio-environmental sensitivities would alter the portfolio of options available which could shape how the energy system achieves decarbonisation (the decarbonisation pathway) as well as affecting the cost and achievability of decarbonisation. Thus, this paper presents a series of three modelled scenarios which illustrate the way that a variety of socio-environmental sensitivities could impact the development of the energy system and the decarbonisation pathway. The scenarios represent risk aversion (DREAD) which avoids deployment of potentially unsafe large-scale technology, local protectionism (NIMBY) that constrains systems to their existing spatial footprint, and environmental awareness (ECO) where protection of natural resources is paramount. Very different solutions for all three sets of constraints are identified; some seem slightly implausible (DREAD) and all show increased cost (especially in ECO).http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/605196 |
| spellingShingle | Brighid Moran Jay David Howard Nick Hughes Jeanette Whitaker Gabrial Anandarajah Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System The Scientific World Journal |
| title | Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System |
| title_full | Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System |
| title_fullStr | Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System |
| title_short | Modelling Socio-Environmental Sensitivities: How Public Responses to Low Carbon Energy Technologies Could Shape the UK Energy System |
| title_sort | modelling socio environmental sensitivities how public responses to low carbon energy technologies could shape the uk energy system |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/605196 |
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