Public Engagement for ‘Desirable’ and ‘Feasible’ Visions of Radical Lifestyle Change in the UK, China and Sweden, 2020-2022

This data deposit covers the Data produced within projects from CAST Theme 1: Visioning - What could low-carbon transformed futures look like? We know that if we want to tackle climate change and limit global temperature rises to within 1.5oC, a rapid transformation will be required in every sector of the economy and society. We also know that technological solutions, such as carbon capture and storage and zero-emission airplanes, are not yet proven. As such, this goal cannot be achieved with substantial cuts to the emissions associated with everyday lifestyles, such as those produced through four key areas: how we heat our homes, how we travel, the food we eat, and the things we buy. In the UK, public concern about climate change is at a record high, with 70% of people believing that drastic changes are needed in the way we live in order to tackle climate change. However, questions remain about what transformational lifestyle changes might actually look like. With the public so deeply embedded in the success of such a transformation, it will be essential that any transition is shaped by what is socially acceptable/desirable, taking account of the existing local context and community. We aimed to explore what feasible and desirable low-carbon futures might look like with members of the public in the UK, China and Sweden. Covering how futures might evolve across the four lifestyle areas (food, shopping, travel and heating), we discussed a range of options for achieving lifestyles choices compatible with a 1.5oC future and what they might mean for peoples’ everyday lives. Specifically, discussions focused on the everyday futures of food, shopping, transport and housing. Building on established techniques for engaging publics with climate and energy topics, deliberative visioning workshops were designed with the aim of providing an open space for participants to explore and engage with new, unfamiliar or challenging possibilities and reflexive discussions around the future of everyday life. We conducted 14 public workshops in the UK, China and Sweden to discuss what radical lifestyle change might look like. In total, 97 participants took part across seven locations, recruited to represent a diverse socio-economic sample across age, gender, income and ethnicity. Each setting reflects different factors influencing the potential for low-carbon transformation. The United Kingdom has legally binding emission reduction targets but is currently failing to deliver on these 2. Similarly, the world’s largest emitter, China, has ambitiously pledged to peak emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. Sweden ranks second in the world for its climate mitigation efforts. Two workshops were conducted in each location, with participants stratified to approximate one group of high-emitters and one group of low-emitters. In the UK, we chose three locations that exemplify different characteristics that will influence the impact that radical emission reductions may have on the everyday lives of local people: Aberdeen, an industrial city with links to the fossil fuel industry; Manchester, a major UK city with the busiest international airport outside London; and South-West England, a rural area with a high proportion of long-distance commuters. In China, we chose Tier 1 city Shanghai, one of the most prosperous and developed cities in China, and Chengdu, a Tier 2 city that is an attractive investment destination, with lower costs and opportunities for growth. In Sweden, we chose Stockholm, which has implemented extensive sustainable transport policies over the past decade, and Gothenburg, ranked the most sustainable city in the world.

CAST is a global hub for understanding the systemic and society-wide transformations that are required to address climate change. We research and develop the social transformations needed to produce a low-carbon and sustainable society; at the core of our work is a fundamental question of enormous social significance: How can we as a society live differently – and better – in ways that meet the urgent need for rapid and far-reaching emission reductions? We are a partnership between University of Bath, Cardiff University, University of Manchester, University of York, University of East Anglia and Oxford-based charity Climate Outreach. We are funded by the ESRC.

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