Content

Attitudes to Energy and Sustainability

Please note that this Programme finished in June 2009. All presentations and documents relating to its activities are available in the Document depository for this programme by registering with our website and joining the Attitudes to Energy group.

 Transforming Attitudes to Energy Consumption and Supply:

Enhancing Development of a Secure Low-carbon Energy Economy

Five events: February to June 2009

Developing a society and economy based on the availability of secure, affordable, low carbon energy is an aspiration widely shared across the developed world. Key to achieving this is delivering a transformation in existing attitudes and behaviours.
Individuals and organisations have complex and sometimes contradictory attitudes and behaviours in relation to energy that make it difficult to develop energy infrastructure, and achieve the changes in attitude and behaviour necessary to tackle climate change and ensure security of energy supplies.
This programme will stimulate creative and radical thinking, and develop new approaches, through a range of techniques including novel application of concepts from other disciplines, scenario analysis, and dialogue between stakeholders. 
To achieve this we are involving talented participants with a wide range of skills and backgrounds in a series of workshops that will stimulate debate, capture new ideas and develop imaginative solutions. Participants will include leading academics, government, the energy industry, NGOs, business leaders, regulators, post-graduate students and consumer organizations.
By pooling your expertise and insights with others we aim to:
  • Identify and explore attitudes and apparent contradictions in behaviour at government, business, stakeholder and consumer levels and explore how government, industry, regulators, individuals and communities could work together to transform attitudes and behaviours in order to achieve climate change targets, maintain security of energy and deliver affordable energy prices.
  • Assess the effectiveness of existing methods of influencing/changing organisational and individual behaviour and explore how the attitudinal/behavioural barriers identified might be overcome using new approaches.
The programme consists of five main events that will run from February 2009 till June 2009. Numbers at each event are restricted to 25. Each event will last 4 days (you are also welcome to attend for part of an event).  Sessions 2nd-4th introduce a sectoral approach - a day in each session being dedicated to one particular topic (transport, energy consumption, energy production).  The final day in each session takes a holistic approach.  Participation in the events is free and travel grants may be available to a small number of participants. A downloadable version of the programme description is available here.
Event dates
 
Theme Dates      
Interdisciplinary Concepts 10-12th February 2009      
Exploring and Identifying Key Problems Transport Energy Consumption Energy Production General Discussion
  16th March 17th March 18th March 19th March
Development of Solutions Energy Production Transport Energy Consumption General Discussion
  13th April 14th April 15th April 16th April
Testing of Solutions against Scenarios Energy Production Energy Consumption Transport General Discussion
  18th May 19th May 20th May 21st May
Inter-disciplinary Student Competition June 2009 TBA      

Programme Organisers

If you have a strong interest and what to know more about the outcomes of the programme, please contact the organisers: Richard Bellingham (richard.bellingham@strath.ac.uk), Peter Booth (p.h.booth@strath.ac.uk), Ian Thomson (i.h.thomson@strath.ac.uk), Eugenia Shevtsova (yevgeniya.shevtsova@eee.strath.ac.uk).

More information

If you are interested in knowing more about this past programme, please email the Institute.