Carbon and post-carbon attachments in the ‘net zero’ transition

Started

Renewable Energy Sources
Other Cross-Cutting Technologies or Research(Demographics)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal

Basic and strategic applied research

SOCIAL SCIENCES (Psychology)

Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy

Francisco 'Pancho' Lewis
Durham University

Standard

ESRC

01 October 2025

01 January 2027

15 months

£120,992

North East

Skills & Methods - Fellowships

Francisco 'Pancho' Lewis, Durham University

N/A

My research examines the following questions. First, why and how do people become attached to fossil-fuelled ways of life in a wider context where greenhouse gas emissions urgently need to be cut? Second, can attachments to fossil-fuelled lives be disrupted? If so, how? I explored these questions in my PhD. I examined a case study of a northern English town – one which found itself at the centre of controversy because of plans to open a coal mine in the area. I showed that many of the town’s residents re-attached to the promise of new coal extraction, even though people had detached from coal industries following the closure of coal mines in the 1980s. I argued that this signalled a warning about how fossil fuel attachments can be unexpectedly resurrected, even when a transition towards low-carbon energy production has happened. At the same time, I showed how a small group of residents in the area attached to the possibility of a ‘net zero’ transition, where society is no longer dependent on fossil fuels. They did so after taking part in a democratic citizens’ forum, learning about climate change and devising solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I argued that this signalled an opportunity: That attachments to forms of life which are no longer reliant on fossil fuels can be formed, often at speed, when people re-imagine alternative futures. In this fellowship, I have two key objectives – to communicate the findings of my doctoral research to new audiences, and to open opportunities to carry out new research about people’s attachments to fossil fuelled and post-fossil fuelled ways of life. First, I aim to disseminate my PhD findings among two audiences – academic researchers who examine the politics of energy transitions, and climate change policymakers and campaigners. To publicise my research to academic scholars, I am: publishing my doctoral thesis as a book; writing a new paper in an academic journal, based on one of my thesis chapters; and giving presentations at two academic conferences. Policymakers and campaigners typically engage with content which is shorter than academic publications. I am writing two articles for online media and speaking about my research on a climate change podcast. In addition, I am co-producing a policy brief based on my, and other comparable, research. The brief will be shared with policy organisations (from local authorities and national government audiences to think-tanks and political parties). Second, I am applying for new funding opportunities to build and expand on my research. I will propose examining cases where workers detach from high-carbon industries (in the oil and gas sector) to attach to sustainable industries (e.g., work in renewable industries). My focus is the politics of their actions – how they challenge the power of fossil fuel industries by pointing to the possibility of alternative futures, even when doingso involves embracing risks and uncertainty. Overall, I want to use my research to contribute to tackling the climate emergency, so that we can protect people and future generations. My hope is that my research can play a role in contributing towards that outcome

07/01/26