RN12 - Environment & Society

RN12 - Environment & Society 

Climate mitigation and adaptation, energy transitions, environmental citizenship, environmental justice, new environmental movements, and lifestyle transformations are all gaining momentum, and are here to define the alternative futures of our societies. Discussions on human-wildlife interaction and environmental benefits of global lockdowns became focal following the global Covid-19 pandemic. 

The topic of the 15th ESA conference “Sociological Knowledges for Alternative Futures” puts forward the need to exchange our ideas and redefine scenarios that we have been familiar with. Therefore, RN12 sessions call for trans/multi/inter/single-disciplinary presentations, dealing both with classical environmental sociology topics and novel themes imposed by the new realities of today. 

We are proposing a list of topics, but we also stay open for additional topics as long as they can be accommodated in the conference schedule. Authors from outside of Europe are also welcomed to submit abstracts and participate in the sessions. 

Themes and sessions include but are not limited to the possible topics/keywords: 

·Biological Diversity and Nature Conservation 

·Energy transitions 

·Environment & Society (Open Session) 

·Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours 

·Environmental Citizenship and Environmental Movements 

·Environmental Conflicts 

·Environmental Justice

·Environmental Values, Perceptions and Beliefs 

·Feminism, Colonialism and Other Forms of Hegemonies 

·Human-Wildlife Relations 

·Knowledge and Ignorance in Dealing with Environmental Issues 

·Media and Environmental Communication 

·Migration and the Environment 

·Participation, Acceptance and Environmental Governance 

·Renewable and Non-Renewable Energies 

·Science, Technology, and the Environment 

·Social Theory and the Environment 

·Sociological Reflexions upon Environmental Education 

·Sociology and Climate Change 

·Sustainable Food Practices and Food Cultures 

·Sustainable Mobilities 

·Urban Natures 

Joint Sessions
JS_RN05_RN12: “Sustainable Consumption and Citizenship” (Joint session with RN05 Sociology of Consumption) 

JS_RN12_RN16: “Interplays between the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crisis” (Joint session with RN16 Sociology of Health and Illness) 

JS_RN12_RN21: “Methodological Landscapes of Quantitative Environmental Sociology” (Joint session with RN21 Quantitative Methods) 

JS_RN12_RN22: “Environmental disaster, risk and resilience” (Joint session with RN22 Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty) 

JS_RN12_RN25: “Climate Movements: Contemporary Developments and Challenges” (Joint session with RN25 Social Movements) 

JS_RN12_RN34: “Religion and Sustainable Development” (Joint session with RN34 Sociology of Religion) 

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Midterm Conference: Fifth Energy and Society Conference: Energy Transition: Does the Mountain Give Birth to a Mouse 

10-12 February 2021

University of Trento, Italy

Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, we’re getting in touch to let you know that Energy & Society 2021 won’t be going ahead as planned. The need for self-isolation and social distancing means that it’s no longer responsible to hold a BIG live event or gather in large groups.

Energy & Society 2021 will take place online only.  

We aim to bring together researchers interested in the social dimensions of energy, to exchange insightful ideas and create opportunities for collaboration. We invite contributions from across the social sciences and interdisciplinary research teams working on energy and society issues. 

Description and Themes

The theme of the conference calls into question how discourses about energy transition have been put into practice. As the “world’s hunger for energy” still appears to be increasing, the transition to clean sources of energy will need to be “revolutionary”, requiring the transformation of forms of social organization (Davidson and Gross, 2018). And yet, what is actually changing? And what impacts is the pandemic and its economic effects having on energy transition?

This theme is intended to spark debate and discussion, and with this reflexive approach and sociological lenses, we encourage the submission of abstracts on a wide variety of topics including but not limited to the following:

• Theories, concepts and methods in social science research on energy and environmental sociology
• Local capacities, responsibilities and strategies in energy governance 
• Public engagement
• Energy governance and policies
• Transition strategies: From grid interconnection to sharing and sufficiency
• Justice and vulnerability
• Dynamics and patterns of energy consumption and prosumption
• Smart meters, smart appliances, smart grids, smart places
• Green economy, circular economy
• Narratives, discourses, and visions of the future
• Energy-water-food nexus
• Energy citizenship

In thematic sessions each presenter will have around 20 minutes for presentation and discussion with peers. 

Additionally you can send in abstracts to the following workshops/special sessions that have been proposed by different authors following a pre- call for workshop proposals. Interactive workshops are encouraged, thus discussion should be based on short inputs, and actively involve participants. The full list of accepted workshops and descriptions of content and format are available on the conference website. 
Abstracts can be submitted to the following workshops/special sessions:

• Dominated, ignored and belittled? Gender, justice and women in the energy transition (Mary Greene, Anne Schiffer)
• Tailored participation of different target groups in inter and transdisciplinary research projects: what for, when and how to design participation processes? (Rainer Kuhn, Ricarda Schmidt-Scheele, Sarah-Kristina Wist)
• COMETS Workshop - Collective Action as driver of Social Innovation for the Energy Transition (Osman Arrobbio, Winston Gilcrease, Dario Padovan, Alessandro Sciullo, Valeria Jana Schwanitz)
• The Changing Landscape: Energy Power, Dependence, and the Grand Energy Transition in post-Soviet Eurasia (Morena Skalamera)
• Implementing energy communities in European countries (Nathalie Ortar Grégoire Wallenborn)
• When technological fix is not enough: industry, professionals and citizens in the energy transition. (Dario Minervini, Ivano Scotti)
• Who is transforming what in electricity transitions: seeking identity and control in turbulent environments (Gerhard Fuchs)
• The heating transition, still on the back burner? (Tineke van der Schoor, Henny van der Windt)
• Constructing, exploring and conceptualising ‘energy democracy’ from below (Elisabet Rasch, Michiel Köhne)
• The Role of Constructing Social Change in Achieving Sustainable Energy Justice Transition in Europe and the Mediterranean (Carmit Lubanov)
• Renewable energy landscapes. Technical knowledge and social innovation (Bruno Zanon)
• Special UERA Smart Cities and Energy Session (UERA Working Group on Smart Cities and Energy)

For detailed information on the Workshops, see the download section "Fifth E-S Workshops details", or click HERE

Please check with the organisers of workshops regarding the length of presentation and indicate the workshop/special session on your abstract. 

We also encourage the submission of abstracts for poster presentations. Poster presenters will be given time in a plenary session for a 3 minutes short presentation and posters will be displayed throughout the conference.

Confirmed keynote speakers are:

• Giorgio Osti – University of Padua, Italy
• Jason Chilvers – University of East Anglia and UK Energy Research Centre, United Kingdom
• Júlia Seixas – New University of Lisbon, Portugal

The conference will also include a Meet the Author Session with Raymond Murphy entitled: The Fossil-Fuelled Climate Crisis: Foresight or Discounting Danger. 

Besides plenary sessions with keynote speakers, thematic sessions, the workshops/special sessions listed above and posters, the conference will also include the following interactive workshops:

• Energy justice (EJ) as a multidimensional concept – the „old” and new perspectives for sociological research (Katarzyna Iwińska, Aleksandra Lis, Krzysztof Mączka, in cooperation with: Krzysztof Niedziałkowski, Marianna Strzeleck)
• How to navigate new waters... Plan and develop your career in the field of Energy-SSH (Tadeusz Rudek, Aleksandra Wagner, Chris Foulds, Sarah Royston, Rosie Robison)
• Increasing the understanding on the Food-Water-Energy Nexus across disciplines – does participatory modelling help? (Monika Heyder, Pia Laborgne)
• Deep decarbonization and wide societal changes – identifying and sharing matters of concern through embodied interaction (Marius Korsnes, Giulia Sonetti)
• Sustainable Energy Transition Lab: Integrating geographical, social and political aspects in future energy models (Diana Süsser, Johan Lilliestam, Hannes Gaschnig)

Deadlines - Rules - Fees

• from July 22 till October 31, 2020: Abstracts submission deadline
• from October 31 till November 15, 2020: Selection process
• November 16, 2020:  Authors will be informed whether or not their abstract is accepted
• from January 7 till February 8, 2021: Payment of the registration fees

The Abstract submission is now closed

Registration - Fees - Payment

Registration 

The Registration is open - You can also find the link in the Useful Links box, on the right upper corner

Closing date: February 8, 2021, at 11.50 am (Rome time)

Members of the Research Network 12 Environment and Society of the European Sociological Association (who have paid both ESA and RN12 membership due for the current year) will have reduced conference fees. 

Online Fees

• Member of ESA RN12 - Student and PhD (not enrolled at UniTrento) - € 40,00
• Standard fee - € 50,00
• Enrolled at UniTrento - fees exempted

Payment

The fees must be paid starting January 7 till February 8, 2021.
A reminder email with all the needed instructions will be sent to all registerd participants on January 3, 2021
Note: Presenters must finalize the payment not later than January 29, 2021

Scientific committee

Natalia Magnani, Giorgio Osti, Pia Laborgne, Ana Horta, Aleksandra Wagner, Alena Bleicher, Sophie Némoz, Matthias Gross, Cigdem Adem, Françoise Bartiaux, Catherine Butler, Luísa Schmidt, Michael Ornetzeder, Maria Świątkiewicz-Mośny

Contacts

For further information please contact: energy-society-srs[at] unitn.it