Basia Cieszewska
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
September 2021
Accelerating the net zero transition: the case of whole house retrofit
Achieving net zero requires radical and transformative action in a short timeframe with no prior precedents for a systemic transformation at this scale and speed. I am interested in how transitions can be accelerated, while taking into account that fundamentally this is a social and not just a technological or economic transformation. My research will explore how acceleration of transitions is enabled or constrained by focusing on the challenges of retrofitting UK homes. Current climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete decarbonisation of the housing stock, while achieving it also offers numerous societal co-benefits.
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Sophia Buchanan Barlow
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
September 2021
Investigating human and environment interdependency through relational wellbeing in blue-green spaces
Social scientists have become increasingly interested in human-environment interactions. Alongside this, policy instruments are grappling with how sustainability and human wellbeing can be simultaneously enhanced. My research aims to further the concept of relational wellbeing to connect ideas around stewardship, care and empathy. Using qualitative research methods – such as walking interviews and photo-elicitation workshops – I will analyse how resource-users and the public, more generally, experience blue-green spaces and the impact this has on their relational wellbeing. This research aims to contribute new knowledge on human-environment interdependency and how sustainability and wellbeing can be fostered for those interacting with blue-green spaces.
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Sam Taylor
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Bath
Department of Psychology
October 2020
Promoting Social-Environmental Participation and Well-being Through Shared Values
People tend to share compassionate values, but they tend not to accurately perceive the level of similarity. My research aims to develop interventions based on demonstrating the extent compassionate values are shared by others in one’s community. The effects of these on a number of outcomes related to social and environmental sustainability will be examined, such as well-being, civic participation and intellectual humility in public debate and discussion.
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Hannah Hayes
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
October 2020
Climate justice dimensions of flood risk adaptation
My PhD research specialises in flood risk and her PhD research focuses on the climate justice dimensions of flood and coastal risk management approaches in the UK.
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Member of CIWEM (Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management).
SWDTP Student Rep
Fay Kahane
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter
College of Geography and Environmental Science
October 2020
Saving which bees? Investigating the social & economic impacts of rewilding honeybees.
I’m an ecologist moving into social science, and this interdisciplinary project will explore sustainability in beekeeping. There’s increasing interest in rewilding honeybees to facilitate survival of this economically and environmentally critical pollinator outside of managed hives. Working with beekeepers and other stakeholders, I’ll investigate ecological impacts of changing practices using field data, the BEEHAVE model and disease analysis. Using Q-methodology and Social Network Analysis, I’ll investigate how perspectives and practice change over the course of this collaborative research, with aims to enhance communication among the beekeeping community, scientists and policymakers, and facilitate evidence-led action for pollinators (managed and wild).
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MCIEEM: Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology & Environmental Management
George Hoppit
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Bristol
School of Geographical Sciences
September 2018
Beyond paper parks: Managing Marine Protecting areas for ecological and social benefits
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Ben Newport
Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Bristol
School of Geographical Sciences
September 2018
Integrating ecological and socioeconomic analysis to optimise forest protection and restoration to meet international climate targets and SDGs.
Reforestation plays a key role in many tropical countries’ pledges under the Paris Agreement, whilst simultaneously providing co-benefits such as biodiversity protection and income generation for local communities. However, there is often a disconnect between the social and biophysical sciences when planning and implementing such multifunctional forest interventions. By incorporating approaches from both disciplines, my research aims to develop a framework for designing reforestation interventions which provide the greatest overall benefits at a landscape-scale whilst being sustainable into the long-term. Specifically, I am focusing on the peatland forests of Malaysian Borneo and its resident Dayak communities.
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Celia Robbins
Student Rep, Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Bristol
School of Geography
September 2017
Community energy landscapes
As we shift away from large fossil-fuel power stations, power generation is no longer the preserve of a few big companies. Community groups can own wind turbines or solar farms, generating profit to help local services while they tackle CO2 emissions. But community involvement does not guarantee local support, or a smooth path through the planning process. Most studies about contentious renewable energy projects have looked at private-sector schemes; my research will address what happens when there is disagreement within a community. I will look at different interpretations of what ‘community energy’ is and ask how people are affected by changes to places and landscapes arising from new ways of generating and managing power.
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SWDTP Student Rep
Catherine Queen
Sustainable Futures Alumni, Sustainable Futures/Climate Change, Sustainability and Society
University of Exeter
College of Life and Environmental Sciences
September 2013
The seldom-heard voice in public engagement with overhead power lines
I am exploring the tensions between the normative expectations of infrastructure planning, as a collaborative process, and the hard-to-reach public’s expectations of justice and fairness. There is limited literature exploring participation in Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, especially concerning publics who are involuntarily disengaged. I am using a Case Study approach, supported by qualitative methods of data collection, to identify the existing opportunities for public knowledge contributions and the barriers to participation for hard-to-reach groups or individuals. Focus groups, semi-structured interviews and walking interviews will help me to explore effective public engagement techniques focussing on the importance of place attachment.
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CMLI – Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute
AIEMA – Associate Member of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment
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