NESS SEMINAR
Dr Rebecca Colvin
@bec_colvin
Date: Friday 26th August
Time: 1 – 2pm
Location: Zoom
Australia’s trajectory on climate action has changed heading. We are no longer debating the reality of climate change or the importance of climate action; yet many challenges remain. Debate in the public sphere will likely centre questions about how the intangible dimensions of the climate policy regime, like emissions reduction targets, translate into tangible changes to Australia’s economy, communities, and environment. Such questions are no more important than in Australia’s regional energy producing communities that must navigate the risk and opportunities presented by these changes. In this talk I explore the complex and contested social dimensions of climate action, and particularly energy transition, in Australia’s energy producing communities. Drawing on recent social research, I share important social considerations for realising the positive outcomes for these communities.
Dr Bec Colvin is a senior lecturer in the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. She completed her PhD at UQ in 2017. Bec researches the social and political dimensions of contentious issues associated with climate policy and energy transition. Her research is focused on understanding the complexity of how different people and groups engage with social, policy, and political conflict about climate and energy issues, particularly through the theoretical lens of the social identity approach. She has explored conflict about wind energy, coal seam gas, coal, and climate policy and energy transition more broadly, in settings ranging from the public sphere through to local communities.
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