In category: Climate

This new POSTnote analyses the latest evidence on public engagement with the energy transition. It describes barriers that could limit large-scale societal engagement, including socioeconomic and political barriers, a lack of locally relevant advice, and misconceptions about technologies, such as heat pumps. It also identifies a set of principles that could support effective public engagement […]

Patrick delivered a lecture on ‘From place attachments to spatial imaginaries: Exploring geographies of energy transitions’ last week for the American Association of Geographers Energy and Environment Speciality Group. He said: “Energy transitions are key to reducing emissions and effective climate response. But where should new low carbon infrastructures go? Do we fill up the […]

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) has published the UK Government’s climate and nature public participation plan: Energising Britain. Professors Patrick Devine-Wright, Karen Bickerstaff, Lorraine Whitmarsh (ACCESS Leadership Team) and Nigel Gilbert (ACCESS Co-Investigator) contributed to the plan through roundtable sessions organised by DESNZ and the British Academy this year, as did […]

Patrick Devine-Wright has been invited to participate in the IPCC Workshop on Engaging Diverse Knowledge Systems which takes place at the University of Reading in February 2026. This workshop aims to address how Indigenous knowledge systems, practitioner knowledge and local knowledge could be accessed and assessed by the IPCC. The workshop is expected to generate recommendations […]

The joint response draws on research and lessons from international case studies, including Irish grid operator EirGrid’s pilot community fund. The authors welcome the government’s proposal to provide those affected by new transmission network infrastructure with a range of community benefits, including direct bill discounts and community funds. In order to help ensure the scheme […]

It focuses on enabling more effective deployment of social sciences by policy makers to enable successful adaptation and resilience, by, with, and for individuals and communities in the UK. This Task Force is composed of academics and government social scientists with extensive expertise in adaptation across science and policy, led by by Rory Walshe (Government Office for […]

Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE (Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), University of Bath) has been appointed Lead Author to Chapter 8 of Working Group III. Working Group III focuses on climate change mitigation, assessing methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and Chapter 8 looks […]

ACCESS’s Patrick Devine-Wright, Alice Moseley and Jenny Hatchard recently delivered a webinar, hosted by Environment Platform Wales, which looked at Welsh public opinion on net zero and climate policy. They shared insights from the ACCESS Net Zero Citizens’ Survey undertaken in Summer 2024, and looked at Welsh support for Net Zero targets and views about the likelihood […]

Professor Benjamin Sovacool (ACCESS Leadership Team & University of Sussex), Professor Nicholas Pidgeon (ACCESS Co-Investigator & Cardiff University), and Professor Sara Walker (Co-Director of the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC) & University of Birmingham) have been appointed to the new DESNZ Science and Technology Advisory Council.  The Science and Technology Advisory Council comprises 16 highly […]

ACCESS Director Patrick Devine-Wright (University of Exeter) was one of five social science experts invited to attend a roundtable discussion on Public Engagement with Grid Transformation in December 2024. Also invited were Catherine Queen (University of Liverpool), Melanie Rohse (Angela Ruskin University), Matthew Cotton (Teeside University), and Jason Chilvers (University of East Anglia). The summary note from that roundtable was published […]