Transcript Slide 1

Transforming the UK Energy System: Public
Values, Attitudes and Acceptability
January 2011 - December 2012
DECC Presentation 02/05/12
CU Consortium
• Psychology, Cardiff University
 PI: Prof Nick Pidgeon




Researcher Co-I: Dr Catherine Butler
Researcher Co-I: Dr Karen Parkhill
Researcher: Christina Demski
Co-I: Lorraine Whitmarsh
• Engineering, Cardiff University
 Co-PI: Prof Nick Jenkins
 Researcher: Dr Tracy Sweet
 Researcher: Dr Modassur Chaudry
 Researcher: Brian Drysdale
• Architecture, Cardiff University
 Co-PI: Prof Peter Pearson
• Psychology, Nottingham University (attached to Psych, Cardiff)
 Researcher Co-I: Dr Alexa Spence
Objectives
1) To identify key trade-offs in system change &
stakeholder & public responses to these
2) To build knowledge and understanding of public
attitudes, values and acceptability
3) To create qualitative and quantitative data sets for
examination of the perspectives of varied publics
across the UK on whole energy system
4) To develop and utilise innovative methodological
approaches for examining public values, attitudes and
acceptability
5) To develop a range of generic materials that can be
utilised as a basis for working with varied publics
Work Packages
WP 1: All Parties
• Scenario
Adaptation,
Expert
Consultation &
Material
Development
WP 2: Butler,
Parkhill &
Pidgeon
WP 3: Demski,
Spence, Pidgeon
& Whitmarsh
• Deliberating
Energy System
Scenarios &
Trade-offs
• Decision
Pathways for
Whole Energy
System
Transformations
Many Scenarios
Work Package 2: Public Deliberations
 3 Pilot Workshops
 Cardiff
 6 Main Deliberative
Workshops
 Different UK locations
 12 Participants per W/S
 Diverse sample:
 E.g. mix of Gender, Age,
Ethnicity, Educational
qualifications, SEG,
Household tenure
WP 2: Day format
Introducing reasons for whole energy system
change
• Presentation
• Short surveys & Discussion
Creating a scenario in small groups
• DECC My2050 web tool & extra components omitted from tool
• Guided discussion to prompt conditions, trade-offs,
agreements, disagreements to form basis of social contracts.
Reflecting on scenarios: Scenario narratives “BAU”, “Mixing it up” & “Low carbon living”
• Small group discussions of each
• Reflections on My2050 discussions to amend social contracts
MY 2050 in the Workshops
Meta Issues
Policy Imperatives for Change
On Climate Change…
 Stuart:Climate
change,
Energy
Security
&
I’m not overly concerned [laughter] mainly because I
watch
a lot of programmes on it and everyone says there are
Affordability
major concerns with climate change, but there’s a lot of
programmes which say that historically climates have changed
anyway
 Public interpretive frames differ to policy (e.g.
[LATER]
not p/kWh)
 No straightforward
relationship
between
…Moderator:So I guess how
would you feel
about having a
carbon
tax on
then?...
views
ongoods
meta
issues and views on energy
Stuart:- That would be fuel tax isn’t it? Tax on fuel, or import
change
tax system
on fuel the
more fuel you’d use the more you pay. I
certainly agree with that.
(Cardiff)
Imagining Future Change
energy supply…
Future
General
positivity toward change
Jeff: -Wind turbines
Lewis:Waves
 Negative
conceptions of things not seen
On
Biomass…
Eric:Solar
Fiona
- It’s another oil and you would exploit countries
as
involving change/non-transitions (e.g.
Ann:whoWind
will allow you to have land and everyone else wants
Rachel:I think
the
wind
andend
anything
to more
do with
theand
that
land
so Iwith
think
you
would
up with
wars
biofuels,
CCS)
weather,
get enough of it here
water we
issues.
[giggles from group]
Moderator:
wind/off
shore
wind, do you
mind?
Cheryl:- -And
Yeah onshore
it feels like
a step
backwards…
it feels
like
Lewis:comeBoth
on guys, we can do something better than that.
[nodding
murmurs
agreement
from itgroup]
I don’tand
know
what it of
is about
it, maybe
is because it’s
Moderator:So what
you see seem
the benefits
of wind and wave,
just burning
stuff, do
it doesn’t
very sophisticated
wood
things youand
have
mentioned?
or the
sustainable
it seems
like they have just panicked
Jeff:free
andIt’s
said
we’ll just burn stuff. (Cumbria)
Ann:- Natural
Jeff: Natural, aye
(Glasgow)
System Change in Context
Risk and Insecurity….
Michael: To be honest with you I think part of it is that if anyone
sticks
their
head
above the parapet to try and do anything…
Rose:-…
I don’t
want
I’m
frightened
that
I am going to get you know into trouble
somebody
coming
in and
embedded
in
daily life- How will
by
doing“you
something
that’s slightly different. And I think that’s
saying,
can’t run that,
you’re
going
to jail
for
part
of
the
problem.
change
happen?
–
puttingExactly,
that heater
on all down to familiarity doesn’t it?... that’s
Jason:
it comes
night”,
but
I do think
 ‘Head
above
the parapet’
how
you
implement
change.
Once it becomes familiar.
something
need
to[government
be
Matt:
…And will
then
that
cavity wall scheme] started and
donebecause
we need
to agency
Control
and
I’d say now that about 2/3rd of the estate… one saw someone
stop, we know this, we know
else
it done and said “what is happening here?” and
whatgetting
we’re damaging…
Active Management…
then
they
got
it
done.
(Cumbria)
(Glasgow)
 Difficulty in imagining change when
Ann:- I’m terrible for leaving the computer
monitor running when it could be switched
off. If I knew there was only so much
electricity I would go around switching
things off, if I wasn’t needing them. So it
would probably be better… (Edinburgh)
Sensory Experience
Rose:I had that
heating)in
a previous
home and Idirty,
 Coal,
Oil (electric
and Gas
viewed
as archaic,
thought that was terrible, it wasn’t cost effective, it wasn’t quick
limited
and
enough…The
gas(running
is effective, out),
quick and
thatconflict
is what you need in
this day
and age, to use
what you
generating
BUT…
in need…
everyday
(Glasgow)
experience…
James:- if they could get an electric car to that
stage where you could get electric cars at the
 Electrification- cars, cooking and heating
same performance as diesel and petrol then I
Lilly:- I love
myeconomy7)
coal fire, especially
would do definitely,
but not at
the moment. frames
 Existing
interpretive
(e.g.
when it is pouring down rain
(Edinburgh)
 Controllability
outside and you come in and you’ve
got a coal fire there is nothing
better. (Cardiff)
Amy: I wasn’t keen on an electric hob. I like to see the
flame, I think it’s safer. (London).
Social Contracts Values and Intangibles
…inInstrumental
framings
my eyes it may be a silly thing to say, why
have
world when
you can’t visit
it? Why
have
 aFlying
– beyond
travel
(multi-culturalism,
other counties when you can’t go there. It seems
aspirations,
work
v leisure,
enjoyment)
silly that
we can’t visit other
countries
and
cultures and actually learn. What is there to
 in
Meat
– beyond
learn
life? (Nigel,
London)sustenance (social
interaction, pleasure and meal times)
On flying…
Amy:- …Tenerife, I go a lot and my family used
to live in the states and I went a lot out there, so
here there and everywhere, I am a retired lady
now and I worked all my life, every day of
my life, and now I think, “well I should just
enjoy myself” so I do. (Glasgow)
Irene:- Something
I wouldn’t change
is not eating meat
[laughter and
agreement from
group] (Merthyr)
Politics of Place
 Place and context significant for views
on system change
 Transport – rural/urban distinction
Public
transport
and rural/urban
distinction…
 Siting
of energy
infrastructure
(e.g. wind
Monica:- I was just listening to other people and it has
farms
impacted
in this area particularly because we are very rural
and we are allPolitics
reliant on
ourhistory…
cars -the infrastructure of the
and

Politics
and
history
(e.g.
Scotland)
public transport
is woeful.
I live
the but
middle
Siting
and
Olivia:It Place…
is not
asinbad,
I of nowhere so I
have to have
a
car. Idon’t
work
in various
places,
Moderator:Okay,
so
you
really
think
wewould
want
to beI couldn’t get to
any of themwant
without
myonshore
own
transport
–
not
as
wellfor
then?
the more
dustbin
of the
world
thatat all. (Cumbria)
Louise:they’re chosen
kind of Well
thingif (carbon
emissions)
maybe
carefully, aye, I mean the
(Glasgow)
Fenwick moor one, White Lees is no
bother there (Glasgow)
Technological Realism
 Technological optimism juxtaposed
with technological realism
On Carbon Capture and Storage
Jeff:- “See, I worry about that whenever humans try and transport
something dangerous, they always make an arse of it somewhere
along the line, like oil. The damage we have done with big oil tankers
spilling out, we would have to transport this and store it and
obviously I don’t know how that gets out, is it like a vapour or liquid
or ice I don’t know, but if you leave humans to transport
something from a to b at some point of them doing that they
will make a balls up and it could end up back in the
environment. That is just my opinions on humans, but we
always make an arse of it somewhere”. (Edinburgh)
Trust, Control and Systems of
(In)equality
On mistrust and the Green Deal…
Olivia:- No you see these utilities were
nationalised industries but they no longer
are, they are now money making
machines, and I mean the actual, they
weretalking
about the price
gas was
Approaches
to oftransitions
going up but yet the actual price they are
buying
at wasn’t…
 Responsibility,
Paying for
 Distrust prevalent (particularly towards
energy companies)
Steven: - Fuel companies have a vested
transitions and profit-making
interest in a non move to renewable
energy
because it means that their
On Responsibility for Low-carbon
Transitions…
are going to be hit when people
Matt: …I would say it is more theprofits
electricity
a clean
system. They’re not
companies or the oil companies. move
Whento
you
are told
going
to be not
making
how much they are making a day,
in profit,
just that money of oil
(Cumbria)
making it, but in profit, and thenand
howthings
muchlike
we that.
are
having to pay for petrol and stuff. You know we pay
more they make more… (Cumbria)
Moving Forward…
Interim
Findings
Briefing
(May 2012)
Development
of themes
along with
further
thematic
issues arising
Full report
(September
2012)
Understanding Risk research group, Cardiff
University
www.understanding-risk.org
For more information on Work Package 2 please
contact us on the following emails:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.ukerc.ac.uk (Energy Supply)