Public Engagement in Sustainable Energy Futures
A one-day symposium, showcasing key social research evidence on how to actively involve the public in building a sustainable energy future and alter current patterns of behaviour and consumption was organised by the Institute for Social, Cultural and Policy Research at the University of Salford. The event was sponsored by the Economic & Social Research Council ( ESRC ) and was held on 22 October 2008 at the University.
The event was organised into 3 sessions:
- Session 1 - Public engagement with sustainable energy: concepts and problems.
- Session 2 - The ‘public’ and new energy technologies: exploring the latest evidence.
- Session 3 - Delivering public engagement: what works? What doesn’t?
The symposium brought together leading social scientists from the Universities of Salford, Lancaster, Manchester and Sussex. The scientists presented fresh evidence on how citizens can be meaningfully engaged in informed debates around energy and environmental issues, how energy-relevant behaviours and consumption are shaped and embedded in everyday life, and how they can be changed.