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Abstract
Drawing inspiration from the literature on social imaginaries and cultural models, this study explores contending perspectives on energy and sustainability, moving beyond a simplistic understanding of support or opposition to specific energy developments. With a comparative study in three regions of Canada, we use Q methodology to identify five key discourses on energy issues: (1) climate change is a primary concern, (2) maintain the energy economy, (3) build on the resilience of nature and local energy systems, (4) markets and corporations will lead and (5) renewable energy sources are the path forward. We find several under-examined perspectives on energy and society – one discourse that attempts to balance growth in the energy economy with environmental concern and another discourse that promotes the resilience of natural and local energy systems. We also find a proclivity towards science, ingenuity and technological innovation as a strategy to resolve contemporary challenges in the energy sector. This study helps to elaborate energy policy conversations beyond the common environment versus economy tropes. The study also reveals opportunities to forge common ground and mutual understanding on complex debates.
Acknowledgements
In addition to the insightful contributions of our research participants, we thank Carolyn Chenard, Matthew Dairon and Paul Sylvestre for their valuable contributions to data collection.
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Notes on contributors
John R. Parkins
John Parkins is Professor of Environmental Sociology at the University of Alberta. His recent work on energy issues includes mixed-method analysis of participant experiences with energy and climate deliberations, social impact assessment of alternative energy production, social and ethical considerations of nuclear power development and a critical analysis of on-line Q methodology techniques related to energy development in Canada.
Christy Hempel
Christy Hempel is a Doctoral Candidate in Rural Studies at the University of Guelph. Her research interests are on the integration of socio-cultural and bio-physical components for the design and planning of energy landscapes.
Thomas M. Beckley
Tom Beckley is a Professor in the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick. His past research has been primarily in sustainability issues at the intersection of community and natural resources planning, management and policy. While much of his historic work focuses on forestry and forest communities, his recent work is in energy literacy, community capacity to adapt to climate disruption, and innovative tools in engaging the public on energy issues.
Richard C. Stedman
Kate Sherren is Associate Professor in the School for Resources and Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University. Her other work on energy issues includes in situ elicitation and focus groups on a threatened hydroelectric dam headpond, processes of local adaptation to renewable energy landscape change, and analyses of online energy discourses and landscape preferences revealed via social media.
Kate Sherren
Richard Stedman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources, where he also directs the Human Dimensions Research Unit. His research and teaching emphasize the well-being of resource dependent communities, and the challenges and opportunities associated with community transitions. Much of this work uses a sense of place framework, and current emphases are challenges to community around rapid energy development, particularly in the Marcellus Shale region of the northeastern United States.