TY - CHAP

T1 - Heat and light

T2 - Understanding bioenergy siting controversy

AU - Upham, Paul

PY - 2013/1/1

Y1 - 2013/1/1

N2 - This chapter draws together some of the insights from an interdisciplinaryresearch programme that has investigated public and stakeholder attitudes to thecultivation and use of biomass for energy in the UK. The key empirical focus hereis a bioenergy siting controversy involving a nationally significant advancedbioenergy gasifier, which serves to illustrate the very real tensions betweennational level energy targets and local expectations of democratic decision-making. While suggestions are made for mitigating these tensions, they areunlikely to be fully resolved, given the pressure of energy and climate changetargets (BERR, 2008a). The chapter suggests that the politics and psychology ofobjection, particularly place attachment, are interconnected. Attitudes are in partcontingent on their context: if national energy and climate targets are to be met,rural and coastal communities will need to be convinced that additional energyinfrastructure is part of a serious national and international drive to mitigateclimate change and that they are not being asked to unilaterally accept changes tothe local environment without others also playing their part in emissions reduc-tion

AB - This chapter draws together some of the insights from an interdisciplinaryresearch programme that has investigated public and stakeholder attitudes to thecultivation and use of biomass for energy in the UK. The key empirical focus hereis a bioenergy siting controversy involving a nationally significant advancedbioenergy gasifier, which serves to illustrate the very real tensions betweennational level energy targets and local expectations of democratic decision-making. While suggestions are made for mitigating these tensions, they areunlikely to be fully resolved, given the pressure of energy and climate changetargets (BERR, 2008a). The chapter suggests that the politics and psychology ofobjection, particularly place attachment, are interconnected. Attitudes are in partcontingent on their context: if national energy and climate targets are to be met,rural and coastal communities will need to be convinced that additional energyinfrastructure is part of a serious national and international drive to mitigateclimate change and that they are not being asked to unilaterally accept changes tothe local environment without others also playing their part in emissions reduc-tion

KW - Sustainability sciences, Communication

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920997595&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.4324/9781849776707

DO - 10.4324/9781849776707

M3 - Contributions to collected editions/anthologies

AN - SCOPUS:84920997595

SN - 9781844078639

SP - 289

EP - 300

BT - Renewable Energy and the Public

A2 - Devine-Wright, Patrick

PB - Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

ER -