To The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the following consultation submission, you will find our recommendations and comments on various aspects of the proposed Climate Action Plan 2024, broken down by chapter and, in some cases, by specific section. We thank you in advance for reading our consultation submission and considering our recommendations and broader comments on CAP 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
C4: Research and Innovation<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Social and Behavioural Research (4.3.2.3)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As the only dedicated environmental sociology group within the Sociology Association of Ireland, we would welcome lending our expertise to the Advisory Group on Social and Behavioural Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have several disciplinary points regarding the contribution environmental sociology could make to current and future climate policy actions that we believe should be considered in policy design research that emerges from CAP 2024. A focus on \u201cattitudes, perceptions and behaviours\u201d can be dangerously misleading, especially when failing to account for the complex societal dimensions in which all humans are immersed. Treating individuals as merely requiring certain attitudes and perceptions to arrive at certain behaviours will lead to overly parsimonious and linear descriptions and prescriptions which individualize responsibility (Shove, 2010, 2011). The omission of society from such models renders many such approaches unworkable in context and is arguably a key reason behind the \u2018replication crisis\u2019 haunting psychological research (Open Science Collaboration, 2015; Van Bavel et al.<\/em>, 2016). A more sociological approach is necessary to offer a more holistic and systemic understanding that is focused on more societal features such as institutions, culture, class, gender, ethnicity, government and economy, field of occupation, etc. \u2013 all critical factors for enabling a \u2018just\u2019 transition to a lower-carbon Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, a social gap between stated attitudes and actual behaviour has often been observed in studies examining barriers to the implementation of renewable energy such as wind capacity expansion (Bell, et al. 2005). Therefore relying on attitudinal and behavioural research without considering the wider, complex societal features is unlikely to result in a successful transition to a more sustainable society, which requires \u2018a buy-in\u2019 from all key stakeholders (Lorenzoni and Pidgeon, 2006). The \u2018nudging\u2019 approach, favoured in behavioural studies, can also lead to limited success without further considerations of sociological perspectives. A study by Ruokamo, et al. (2022) found that \u2018nudging\u2019 helped to reduce electricity consumption within households who are already more involved in following their electricity consumption. Reliance on \u2018nudges\u2019 can therefore lead to misleading policy interventions which fail to target key target groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A particular sociological approach to emerge in recent years is known as \u201cPractice Theory\u201d (Shove, Pantzar and Watson, 2012). Currently, its primary advocate is Prof., Elizabeth Shove whose writings on practice theory have been cited over 35,000 times (a very high figure in the social sciences). It advocates replacing research into individuals and their \u2018behaviours\u2019 with a focus on \u2018practices\u2019. Behaviours are deemed too individualising and voluntaristic to present an accurate reflection of how what people do is in part determined by the structure of everyday life. \u2018Practices\u2019 on the other hand \u2013 such as cycling, car-driving, flying, etc – have a social, cultural and material (e.g., equipment, infrastructures) presence that stretches beyond the individual to across society as well as deep into history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such a perspective helps to recognise that the emergence of car-centric cities throughout Europe was not a simple evolutionary replacement of one technology \u2013 the bicycle \u2013 with more advanced technology, but was instead heavily political and class-driven and initially resisted by many workers who depended on the bicycle (Oosterhuis, 2016).<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also points to socio-cultural aspects. For example, how cycling is mainly casual in mainland Europe but often fitness-related in the UK and Ireland, which in turn clashes with particular gendered clothing restrictions and ideas of modesty thereby contributing to limiting take up by female school pupils whose uniforms require skirts (Egan and Hackett, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n How practices are bound up with other practices is also a crucial component of practice theory and essential to understanding the possibilities or requirements of social change. Mattioli et al\u2019s (2016) data mining of time series diaries on the time-use of the car illustrates this. Through its cargo function, the car is heavily bound up with a multitude of other practices. Drivers ferried children to school, the dog to a place to walk it, waste to waste disposal areas, and in particular shopping etc. Any shift to supplant the car with public transport, walking, or cycling needs to factor in this cargo function as well as how to become integrated into similar practices which in effect is a means of integrating these lower-emitting modes into everyday life. Everyday life, according to practice theory, is constituted out of a multitude of interconnected practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Practice theory also has offered effective insight into the occurrence of \u201cperformance gaps\u201d (van Dronkelaar et al.<\/em>, 2016) in energy-saving technologies \u2013 the changeable nature of \u2018comfort\u2019 for example, which has led to a failure to realise energy savings from heat pumps as some UK families instead increase comfort levels (Gram-Hanssen et al.<\/em>, 2017).<\/p>\n\n\n\n As national experts in practice theory and broader environmental sociological approaches, we can offer a fresh perspective on the policy solutions required to tackle the stubborn problems of behaviour change that the current emphasis on \u2018nudge\u2019 tactics may overlook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C11: Carbon Pricing and Cross-Cutting Policies<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Digital Transformation (11.2.4)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The COVID pandemic accelerated the transformation of work, in particular creating opportunities for remote and hybrid working. While such ways of working have potentially some significant personal, community, and social advantages, in terms of consumption and the impacts on the environment little is known about the long-term consequences of this method of working. In particular, issues such as reductions of office space in urban centres and the resulting \u2018hollowing out\u2019 of towns and city centres and the transfer of energy and overall patterns of consumption from businesses and organisations to the individual worker<\/strong> are issues and concerns that require urgent policy attention and longitudinal empirical research. The potential rebound effects of remote working on residential and daily mobility in terms of possible increases in the frequency or distance of journeys<\/strong>, such as an increase in non\u2010work\u2010related travel on remote working days, as well as effects such as residential relocation or multilocal dwelling (Hostettler Macias et al., 2023) are also issues of some concern. Moreover, the long-term sustainability of remote and hybrid working is fundamentally dependent on stronger worker protection than currently exists for such workers, in particular: the extension of all working conditions and rights that exist for those working at a central location to those who choose to work from home, remotely, or in a hybrid way. Such protections require explicit reference to remote working in current policy and regulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C15: Transport<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Communications and Engagement Work Programme (15.2.1.2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In relation to both Public and Local Authority Communications & Engagement Workstreams, research from our group can improve and refine communications and representations that can support modal shift and broader road space reallocation\/car traffic demand management measures. In particular, deriving from study of public opposition to a major active travel infrastructure project in D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown (the \u2018Active School Travel\u2019 scheme) (Egan and Caulfield, 2024a, 2024b, 2024b), following analysis of a sample of public consultation submissions, it was found that two interrelated narratives (or discourses) underpin a significant extent of public opposition to active travel measures that involve redistribution of rights to space, speed, and\/or access from car traffic to foot\/wheel and cycle traffic to reduce driving and promote modal shift (Egan and Caulfield, 2023, 2024a, 2024b, 2024c). In this research, a car-centric narrative of transport planning (Egan and Caulfield, 2024a, 2024b) and everyday mobility (Egan and Caulfield, 2024c) were identified as the major discourses of opposition. The summary report of Egan and Caulfield (2023) provides a concise account of the features of these discourses, and the recommendations for constructing new public and official (e.g., Local and National Authority) narratives that can be promoted and incorporated in pro-active travel behaviour change and planning proposal\/implementation efforts. The recommendations within this report are presented below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n i. Cycle Mobility as Traffic: <\/em><\/strong>Wording cycle mobility\/cycling\/cyclists as \u201ccycle traffic\u201d. Through wording cycle mobility as \u201ccycle traffic\u201d in future proposals and public communications, cycling and cyclists can be legitimised as a form of traffic as opposed to something \u2018in the way\u2019 of traffic. Likewise, by using standardised wording of cycle mobility as \u201ccycle traffic\u201d, cycle spaces could be set up as elements of a traffic\/transport system rather than spaces that necessarily reduce or disrupt a traffic\/transport system. Lastly, avoiding the use of \u2018traffic\u2019 as a general term and instead systematically using \u201ccycle\/car\/motor\/pedestrian\/mixed traffic\u201d can help to more transparently present any claims regarding \u2018traffic\u2019 in relation to the mode in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ii. Traffic as a Malleable Substance – A Metaphor of Conversion:<\/em><\/strong> Within the technical discourse of transport planning identified, the possibility of modal shift as well as reduced mobility practices (i.e., \u2018Avoid\u2019 CAP targets) is absent. This absence of possibility is incorporated into the metaphorical rendering of traffic as an \u2018immutable substance\u2019 \u2013 something that is permanent rather than malleable. On the basis that modal shift can be stimulated through active travel measures, a counter-metaphor of \u2018traffic conversion\u2019 could be incorporated into an alternative transport planning discourse to contest working assumptions within the car-centric technical discourse of transport planning that car-based mobility (\u2018traffic\u2019) is an immutable substance that must be diverted elsewhere with redistributive active travel measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n iii. Car-Centric Planning as a Cause of Danger and Emissions<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong> It is well established that car-based automobility has contributed to mass road traffic violence and unsustainable transport sector emissions brought about in part by the disintegrated practice of spatial planning and public transport planning (OECD, 2022). One possibility for addressing the construction of active travel measures as a primary cause of local danger and emissions may be measuring, quantifying, and publicly communicating the system-level (and local) effects that car-centric planning may have on the safety of people cycling and walking, as well as local air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n iv. Vision-Led Planning:<\/em><\/strong> Based on the recent Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy, official planning practice is moving towards a \u2018decide and provide\u2019 approach where planning decisions are made based on what is desired \u2013 such as increased cycling and walking and less driving \u2013 rather than what is forecast (National Transport Authority, 2021). In light of the evidence that an underlying principle of demand-led planning acts as a major normative basis for redistributive active travel planning opposition in D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown, explicit representations of a more \u2018vision-led\u2019 approach that does not necessitate the reproduction of the current mobility regime (Lyons & Davidson, 2016), along with clear explanations of why such an approach is needed as an alternative to \u2018predict and provide\u2019 would be beneficial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n v. Driving as Unsustainable: <\/em><\/strong>While the discourse of everyday mobility identified in Egan and Caulfield (2023, 2024c) construes driving as the essential mobility practice for everyday life, a discourse that decentres the car as the basic mode might emphasise the car as fundamentally unsustainable as the primary form of everyday mobility in urban contexts \u2013 particularly in relation to population growth and policy aims for more compact urban development in Ireland (Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, 2021). This would shift emphasis away from driving as essential toward adapting the transport system to enable alternative forms of everyday mobility as essential, including through demand management measures. On these grounds, sustainability could be argued in relation to sustaining everyday life<\/em> and the personal and group mobility this may involve, rather than arguing based on ecological sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n vi. Driving as Conditional: <\/em><\/strong>As a counter-representation to a construal of cycling as conditional, the dependencies that are incorporated into (and often met) in the practice of driving can be represented in an everyday mobility discourse that decentres the car. This could involve, among other things, a representation of how driving as a practice is extensively dependent on a vast technical system (OECD, 2022; Urry, 2004). This might include depictions of how driving is dependent on the provision of extensive spatial provision for driving and car parking, major state roads investment and maintenance, driver licencing, car insurance, car ownership, road traffic policing, road safety campaigning, access to affordable fuel, and the widespread availability of fuelling stations. Proposal and policy images of driving could also reflect what peak car traffic looks like in urban and suburban locations, which can often be congested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n vii. Cycling as Practical: <\/em><\/strong>Cycling can be used to complete a variety of everyday tasks (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, 2020) under a variety of conditions (Hudde, 2023). It is proposed that a counter-construal to cycling as conditional could be the representation (including through imagery) of cycling as an all-purpose, all-weather, all-day activity. Focusing on cycling as practical for all purposes, this could involve the inclusion of images of people cycle-shopping and cycling-chauffeuring (e.g., as a group or with a cargo bike for utilitarian journeys). Portraying cycling as an all-weather and all-day mode, on the other hand, could involve the inclusion of representations of cycling in the rain, in overcast conditions, and cycling at night. All of these representations could challenge the construal of cycling as a mobility practice that is fundamentally limited to a small variety of journeys (e.g., individual commute journeys) within a restrictive set of conditions (e.g., warm, dry and bright weather).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enhanced Spatial and Land Use Planning (15.2.2.1)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Integrating transport, health, and environmental objectives into urban and rural spatial planning and land use policies is made more possible by improving collaboration, coordination, and cooperation between all levels of the relevant authorities and the communities directly impacted. Several issues require more attention in policy design and implementation. The location of work opportunities close to existing and new residential builds and communities<\/strong> – a key commitment under the Project Ireland 2040 (2024): National Planning Framework – must be prioritised. A \u201915 min city\u2019 concept, which requires a redesign and replanning of urban spaces so that residents can access all of their basic essentials at distances that would not take them more than 15 min by foot or by bicycle, (Moreno, et al., 2021), has been trialled in cities such as Paris. Residents can enjoy a higher quality of life and sustain a decent urban life as they can access all required social functions (e.g. living, working, commerce, healthcare, education and entertainment) within a 15-minute radius. A redesign of urban areas in Ireland, which would avoid the use of cars to travel long distances to access social functions and would prioritise walking, cycling and use of public transport in accessing these could be achieved with holistic and inclusive planning. Equally, the redevelopment and regeneration of rural Ireland by promoting environmentally sustainable growth patterns <\/strong>is also needed. Transport and spatial planning and land use are inextricably linked and, thus, must be considered in unison and developed and implemented through a single body or agency in Ireland. There must be a focus on developing better nationwide public transport systems that are safe, clean, convenient, accessible, efficient and affordable for all citizens<\/strong>. Developing infrastructure, road signage and signalling to ensure safe healthy active and sustainable mobility such as walking and cycling must be a major priority in terms of future planning. Mobility management schemes for commuting to and from work, school, leisure travel and other such needs are required for each local region and county. Increasing the country\u2019s annual afforestation rates, promoting forest management initiatives to increase carbon sinks and stores, improving grasslands, and protecting and rehabilitation of peatlands are all important ways in which the country can meet our obligations under the Climate Action Plan (Gov.ie, 2024).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategic Transport Planning (15.2.2.2) \u2013 Galway<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For Galway to tackle its periodic chronic traffic congestion, the use of private cars must be significantly curtailed and discouraged within and across the city. Galway is a medieval city whose core was never designed for the volumes of traffic it now experiences on an almost daily basis. Yet, many of the distances that daily commuters, who live in the city, need to travel are the shortest in the state (CSO, 2023) and do not necessitate the use of a private car. In curtailing private car use in the city, active and sustainable transport options such as walking, cycling, and public transport must be effectively supported in terms of space allocation, finance, and public and national representative leadership. Walking is perhaps the simplest mode of transport but, in the case of Galway, is critically neglected. The pedestrian routes between many of the main amenities and facilities in the city are characterised by neglect with poorly maintained and unkempt footpaths, obstructive street signage, the commercial colonisation of street space, illegal and inconsiderate parking, and inappropriate or non-existent road crossing. Cycling is equally marginalised with no separated and safe cycling lanes or throughways and no linked routes throughout the city. CycleConnects<\/strong> (NTA, 2022) routes in and around the city must be prioritised as a matter of urgency, and a similar level of planning is required for pedestrian walkways<\/strong>. In terms of public transport, a central element for improving sustainable mobility in Galway is the development and implementation of a light rail system<\/strong>. Given the topology of the city, a single light rail line running from 8km from Barna to Oranmore would cater for nearly 70% of the population of the city (Mc Gettrick, 2020). In addition to a light rail system, additional road space must be allocated to bus lanes that connect all residential areas of the city to the main facilities and amenities such as schools, universities, hospitals, places of worship, shopping centres, and major sporting venues. All of the nodes or pick-up points on the public transport network must be connected to residential areas through safe cycleways and walkways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strategic Transport Planning (15.2.2.2) \u2013 Waterford<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The move to a more cycling-friendly city would tie in well with Waterford\u2019s recent PR successes as the \u2018best place to live in Ireland\u2019. The sustainability bridge is an important infrastructural development as it expands active travel possibilities \u2013 especially in cycling \u2013 to a large part of the city (i.e., Ferrybank). Prior to this cycling from this area was only for a few \u2018urban warriors\u2019 or on footpaths. However, the digital rendering of the bridge only shows a handful of cyclists and a few walkers and lacks ambition. The images are far from the images of Europe\u2019s cycling cities where cycling is \u2018traffic\u2019 as opposed to here where it appears as a minor and brief spell of luxury for a few. Future representations of cycling would therefore benefit from recognition of cycling as a serious form of city travel and as \u2018traffic\u2019 in its own right. Connecting the bridge development to the rest of the city is also essential. This could be aided by safer parking spaces for bikes throughout and; the integration of cycling with local public transport via bike-carrying facilities as seen in European cycling cities. Working-class areas also need to be included in cycling infrastructure such as Ballybricken, which currently has been excluded from the rollout of regional bike-sharing schemes (i.e., action number TR\/24\/18). However, infrastructural developments alone will not be enough (as in Stevenage and Milton Keyes). On top of \u2018demand management strategy\u2019, which potentially over-emphasises an individualising consumer approach, stronger and more inclusive cultural and social connections need to be made between cycling and Waterford\u2019s community groups, schools, technological university campuses, cycling campaigners, residents associations, Greenway enterprises, bicycle suppliers, and with Waterford festival and cultural activities as well as tying into a social history of cycling in Waterford. In order to understand more about how this could be achieved funding should be provided for local research \u2013 potentially with action research initiatives – and for environmental forums that serve to identify and make the most of local institutional and social capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Major Public Transport Infrastructure Programme (15.2.4.2)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We welcome that active travel access and cycle parking for passengers has been explicitly mentioned in plans for PT infrastructure development, and for considering new or improved active travel infrastructure provision. This will help to increase the catchment of public transport passengers independent of car use. Providing for cycling as an access mode for rail journeys is a particularly effective means of promoting cycle-public transport integrated journeys (Egan et al., 2023, p.5, \u2018Integration\u2019 as a public cycle planning principle). Importantly, it is likely that a considerable proportion of cycle access journeys to rail would involve long-term cycle parking (e.g. for a working day of eight hours). On these grounds, cycle parking provision should be of a high quality in terms of the protection from theft and weather provided. Since this cycle parking would be for the members of the public rather than, for example, private employees (where secure facilities may be accessible through controlled key\/key card access), professionally guarded and sheltered cycle parking that public transport patrons can use could be particularly effective as a means to grow cycle-rail journeys that can substitute car use (see Egan et al., 2023, p.5, \u2018Protection\u2019) \u2013 which can be observed in high-cycling contexts (Martens, 2007; Pucher and Buehler, 2008). At present, the potential for synergistic integration of cycling and rail to substitute both the flexibility of the car and its speed over long distances has been grossly neglected. Instead, cycling appears to be mainly considered as a stand-alone mode, judging by the exposed and unprotected cycle parking provision at rail stations. On these grounds, some of the greatest opportunities to grow public transport ridership and cycle-rail car substitution journeys may lie first and foremost with retrofitting guarded and sheltered parking into high-density existing rail stations, which may be best achieved first and foremost by reallocating car parking space for cycle parking \u2013 in keeping with broader road space reallocation strategies for generating modal shift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C16: Agriculture<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The importance of sociological approaches in researching the relationship of certain groups to Ireland\u2019s climate actions is particularly evident when looking at farmers. A review of the agricultural literature in this area shows strong sociocultural dimensions to the life of the farmer that extend beyond profitability and incentives to farming as \u2018a way of life\u2019 (Hammersley et al.<\/em>, 2023). The anchored nature of land ties many in this group into the world of the \u2018local\u2019 where opinions of neighbouring farmers matter, where practical local knowledge is valued (McDonagh et al.<\/em>, 2020), and where there are stronger ancestral and familial bonds, reinforced by the dominance of patrilineal inheritance through which farm-holders are predominantly male (13% are women). Common themes emergent from these systems of factors include the importance of farmer autonomy and independence (Hammersley et al.<\/em>, 2021), and the cultural status of what academics term the \u2018good farmer\u2019, which can incorporate notions of farming tidiness (Burns, 2021) as well as \u2018scale\u2019 – depending on the sector. Often these conflict with agri-environmental schemes and subsidies. A particular grievance is a sense of being hindered from displaying valued skills as a farmer and from having farmer insights excluded or marginalised in the implementation of policies or schemes (Hammersley et al.<\/em>, 2021; Harrahill et al.<\/em>, 2022; McDonagh, 2022). On these grounds, efforts to properly include local farmer knowledge and provide opportunities to demonstrate farmer skills and values (e.g., results-based approaches) would help with encouraging more environmental farming and land use. In addition, consideration of gender in agriculture should also be given priority. Women constitute a significant shareof farmers, nationally and globally. In the EU, approximately 29% of farms are managed by women (Eurostat, 2016). Only 13% of farmholders in Ireland are women (CSO, 2021). Female farmers also often work without visibility and status, seriously affecting farm succession and social sustainability. In the plans to develop a circular bioeconomy, consideration of gender should be given a key priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n C20: The Circular Economy and Other Emissions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The vast consumption and rapid obsolescence of digital electronics and small and mobile devices have not only led to growing concerns about resource consumption and depletion but also end-of-life electronic waste, or e-waste, management. In 2022, a record 62 billion kg of e-waste was generated globally – equivalent to an average of 7.8 kg per capita per year \u2013 and only 22.3 per cent of this e-waste was documented as formally collected and recycled in an environmentally sound manner.[1] Ireland should continue to lead in terms of preventing the creation of e-waste as a priority, contributing to the efficient use of precious rare-earth resources and the retrieval of secondary raw materials through re-use, recycling and other forms of recovery, and improving the environmental performance of organisations involved in the entire life cycle of such e-waste<\/strong>. Of particular concern is the very poor rate of return of used and discarded smart and mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. In particular, as living standards increase, consumption and therefore waste (including e-waste) are also likely to continue to increase. A priority should be to encourage and support government-backed and private operators of take-back schemes for such small portable electronic devices to establish partnerships with reuse and waste organisations to give them access to collected electronics, to enable the separation of those that can be prepared for reuse from those that are sent for recycling, and the setting of binding reuse and preparing for reuse targets for all mobile service providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n References<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bell, D., Gray, T. and Haggett, C. (2005) ‘The \u2018Social Gap\u2019 in Wind Farm Siting Decisions: Explanations and Policy Responses’, Environmental Politics<\/em>, 14(4), pp. 460-477, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/09644010500175833<\/p>\n\n\n\n Burns, L. (2021) \u2018Challenges to Habitus: Scruffy Hedges and Weeds in the Irish Countryside\u2019, Sociologia Ruralis<\/em>, 61(1), pp. 2\u201325. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/soru.12307.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CSO (2021) Census of Agriculture 2020 – Preliminary Results. Available at https:\/\/www.cso.ie\/en\/releasesandpublications\/ep\/p-coa\/censusofagriculture2020-preliminaryresults\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n CSO. (2023). Census 2022 Profile 7 – Employment, Occupations and Commuting. Central Statistics Office, available at https:\/\/www.cso.ie\/en\/releasesandpublications\/ep\/p-cpp7\/census2022profile7-employmentoccupationsandcommuting\/commutingtowork\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n van Dronkelaar, C. et al.<\/em> (2016) \u2018A Review of the Energy Performance Gap and Its Underlying Causes in Non-Domestic Buildings\u2019, Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering<\/em>, 1. Available at: https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fmech.2015.00017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R., & Caulfield, B. (2023). Exploring Public Opposition to Active Travel Planning in D\u00fan Laoghaire-Rathdown: Synthesis Report. Trinity College Dublin<\/em>. Available at: http:\/\/www.tara.tcd.ie\/handle\/2262\/102927<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R., & Caulfield, B. (2024a). Disruptive, dangerous, and dirty: Active travel measures as a \u2018cause\u2019 of car-related externalities. Mobilities<\/em>, 0<\/em>(0), 1\u201318. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/17450101.2024.2328213<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R., & Caulfield, B. (2024b). Driving as essential, cycling as conditional: How automobility is politically sustained in discourses of everyday mobility. Mobilities<\/em>, 0<\/em>(0), 1\u201317. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/17450101.2024.2325370<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R., & Caulfield, B. (2024c). There\u2019s no such thing as cycle traffic: A critical discourse analysis of public opposition to pro-cycle planning. Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research<\/em>, 2<\/em>, 100014. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jcmr.2024.100014<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R., Dowling, C. M., & Caulfield, B. (2023). Exploring the elements of effective public cycle parking: A literature review. Journal of Urban Mobility<\/em>, 3<\/em>, 100046. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.urbmob.2023.100046<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egan, R. and Hackett, J. (2022) \u2018The Social Practice and Regulation of Cycling as \u201cA Boy\u2019s Thing\u201d in Irish Secondary Schools\u2019, Active Travel Studies<\/em>, 2(1). Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/doi: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.16997\/ats.1121.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eurostat (2016) Proportion of farm managers who are women, 2016. Data code: ef_m_farmang. Available at https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/eurostat<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gov.ie (2024). Climate Action Plan 2023. Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, available at https:\/\/www.gov.ie\/en\/publication\/7bd8c-climate-action-plan-2023\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gram-Hanssen, K. et al.<\/em> (2017) \u2018Selling and installing heat pumps: influencing household practices\u2019, Building Research & Information<\/em>, 45(4), pp. 359\u2013370. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/09613218.2016.1157420.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hammersley, C. et al.<\/em> (2021) \u2018\u201cThat\u2019s Me I am the Farmer of the Land\u201d: Exploring Identities, Masculinities, and Health Among Male Farmers\u2019 in Ireland\u2019, American Journal of Men\u2019s Health<\/em>, 15(4), p. 15579883211035241. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/15579883211035241.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hammersley, C. et al.<\/em> (2023) \u2018Mental health, societal expectations and changes to the governance of farming: Reshaping what it means to be a \u201cman\u201d and \u201cgood farmer\u201d in rural Ireland\u2019, Sociologia Ruralis<\/em>, 63(S1), pp. 57\u201381. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/soru.12411.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harrahill, K. et al.<\/em> (2022) \u2018An Analysis of Irish Dairy Farmers\u2019 Participation in the Bioeconomy: Exploring Power and Knowledge Dynamics in a Multi-actor EIP-AGRI Operational Group\u2019, SUSTAINABILITY<\/em>, 14(19). Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su141912098.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hostettler Macias, L., Ravalet, E. and R\u00e9rat, P. (2022). Potential rebound effects of teleworking on residential and daily mobility. Geography Compass, 16(9), p.e12657, available at https:\/\/compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/gec3.12657<\/p>\n\n\n\n ITU. (2024). The Global E-waste Monitor 2024. International Telecommunication Union, available at https:\/\/www.itu.int\/en\/ITU-D\/Environment\/Pages\/Publications\/The-Global-E-waste-Monitor-2024.aspx<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lorenzoni, I. and Pidgeon, N. F. (2006) ‘Public Views on Climate Change: European and USA Perspectives’, Climatic Change<\/em>, 77(1), pp. 73-95, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10584-006-9072-z<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martens, K. (2007). Promoting bike-and-ride: The Dutch experience. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice<\/em>, 41<\/em>(4), 326\u2013338. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.tra.2006.09.010<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mattioli, G., Anable, J. and Vrotsou, K. (2016) \u2018Car dependent practices: Findings from a sequence pattern mining study of UK time use data\u2019, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice<\/em>, 89, pp. 56\u201372. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.tra.2016.04.010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McDonagh, J. et al.<\/em> (2020) \u2018Theres no transfer of knowledge, its all one way \u2013 the importance of integrating local knowledge and fostering knowledge sharing practices in natural resource utilisation\u2019, in, pp. 116\u2013129. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4337\/9781789901894.00016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n McDonagh, J. (2022) \u2018Designation, Incentivisation and Farmer Participation-Exploring Options for Sustainable Rural Landscapes\u2019, SUSTAINABILITY<\/em>, 14(9). Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/su14095569.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mc Gettrick, M. (2020). The maths of public transport in Galway. RTE Brainstorm, available at https:\/\/www.rte.ie\/brainstorm\/2020\/0204\/1113099-the-maths-of-public-transport\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moreno C, Allam Z, Chabaud D, Gall C, Pratlong F. (2021) \u2018Introducing the \u201c15-Minute City\u201d: Sustainability, Resilience and Place Identity in Future Post-Pandemic Cities\u2019. Smart Cities<\/em>, 4(1), pp. 93-111, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/smartcities4010006<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n NTA. (2022). CycleConnecets \u2013 Ireland\u2019s Cycle Network \u2013 Active Travel. National Transport Authority, available at https:\/\/www.nationaltransport.ie\/planning-and-investment\/transport-investment\/active-travel-investment-programme\/cycleconnects-irelands-cycle-network-active-travel\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open Science Collaboration (2015) \u2018Estimating the reproducibility of psychological science\u2019, Science<\/em>, 349(6251), p. aac4716. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/science.aac4716.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project Ireland 2040. (2024). Draft of Ireland 2040 \u2013 Our Plan. Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework, available at https:\/\/www.npf.ie\/draft-of-ireland-2040\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pucher, J., & Buehler, R. (2008). Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany. Transport Reviews<\/em>, 28<\/em>(4), 495\u2013528. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/01441640701806612<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruokamo, E., Meril\u00e4inen, T., Karhinen, S., R\u00e4ih\u00e4, J., Suur-Uski, P., Timonen, L. and Svento, R. (2022) ‘The effect of information nudges on energy saving: Observations from a randomized field experiment in Finland’, Energy Policy,<\/em> 161, pp. 112731, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.enpol.2021.112731<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Shove, E. (2010) \u2018Beyond the ABC: Climate Change Policy and Theories of Social Change\u2019, Environment and Planning A<\/em>, 42(6), pp. 1273\u20131285. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1068\/a42282.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shove, E. (2011) \u2018On the difference between chalk and cheese\u00f6a response toWhitmarsh et al\u2019s comments on “Beyond the ABC: climate change policy and theories of social change\u2019\u2019\u2019, Environment and Planning A<\/em>, 43, pp. 262\u20134.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shove, E., Pantzar, M. and Watson, M. (2012) The Dynamics of Social Practice: Everyday Life and how it Changes<\/em>. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at: https:\/\/books.google.ie\/books?id=L-ILf3b9P-AC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Van Bavel, J.J. et al.<\/em> (2016) \u2018Contextual sensitivity in scientific reproducibility\u2019, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences<\/em>, 113(23), pp. 6454\u20136459. Available at: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1073\/pnas.1521897113.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kind regards<\/p>\n\n\n\n The SAI Environment & Society Study Group<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr Emmet Fox<\/a>, South East Technological University; Dr Egle Gusciute<\/a>, University College Dublin; Dr Michael Hynes<\/a>, University of Galway and Dr Robert Egan<\/a>, Trinity College Dublin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" To The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, In the following consultation submission, you will find our recommendations and comments on various aspects of the proposed Climate Action Plan 2024, broken down by chapter and, in some cases, by specific section. We thank you in advance for reading our consultation submission and considering our recommendations …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[90],"tags":[95,72,19],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9PkL7-8f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":508,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2023\/12\/22\/sociology-association-of-ireland-sai-environment-society-study-group-electoral-commission-research-proposal-submission\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":0},"title":"Sociology Association of Ireland (SAI) Environment & Society Study Group \u2013 Electoral Commission Research Proposal Submission","date":"December 22, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Electoral Commission Members Climate Change is the most looming existential threat facing humanity at present and many countries across the developed world appear to be locked in a paralysis of procrastination when it comes to decision-making about their environment. Ireland, in many respects, is no different. While some high\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environmental Study Group at the SAI"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":503,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2023\/12\/08\/draft-dublin-city-centre-transport-plan-dcctp-submission-on-behalf-of-the-sociology-association-of-ireland-sai-environment-society-study-group\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":1},"title":"Draft Dublin City Centre Transport Plan (DCCTP) – Submission on behalf of the Sociology Association of Ireland (SAI) Environment & Society Study Group","date":"December 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Dublin City Council City Centre Projects We are strongly supportive of the measures to reduce the accessibility provided by driving in the city centre and simultaneously expand the accessibility and directness of cycling, walking and public transport. This helps inner Dublin to move closer toward the aspirational road user hierarchy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Environmental Study Group at the SAI"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":527,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2024\/11\/19\/local-authority-climate-action-plan-lacap-and-climate-action\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":2},"title":"Research on the Galway City Council\u2019s Local Authority Climate Action Plan (LACAP) and the city\u2019s performance in terms of climate action","date":"November 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Authors:Meret StursbergNatalie CyrkelRebecca McDonnellMike Hynes A copy of the research report can be downloaded from here... Introduction - What\u2019s the story? Over the past years, communities in Ireland have been increasingly facing climate change-related issues and many local authorities are confronted with the task of adapting to these changes. An\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SSRC Members"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/are-you-aware-of-the-plan.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":465,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2021\/09\/27\/bean-feasa-agus-cara-dilis-an-tollamh-eolaiocht-pholaitiuil-agus-socheolaiocht-ricca-edmondson\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":3},"title":"Bean feasa agus cara dil\u00eds: An tOllamh Eola\u00edocht Pholaiti\u00fail agus Socheola\u00edocht, Ricca Edmondson*","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Prof Anne ByrneSchool of Political Science and Sociology, College of ArtsNational University of Ireland Galway. This In Memoriam is reproduced with the very kind permission of the Irish Journal of Sociology, see https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/07916035211038250. To read Ricca\u2019s words is an exhilarating experience. She brought extraordinary awareness, insight and depth to how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SSRC Members"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/RICCA.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":316,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2020\/03\/30\/stuck-working-the-challenges-of-working-from-home-for-the-first-time\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":4},"title":"Stuck Working: The Challenges of Working from Home for the First Time","date":"March 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"credit Bongkarn Thanyakij With the country de facto lockdown and acting on governmental advice a significant number of people are now working from home as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic grips Ireland and other regions across the world. It is estimated that 100,000 people have now switched to eWorking,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "SSRC Members"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/person-in-black-and-white-plaid-dress-shirt-using-mac-book-3740306.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":104,"url":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/2018\/01\/30\/efficient-new-build-homes\/","url_meta":{"origin":511,"position":5},"title":"Efficient New Build Homes","date":"January 30, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog will show how efficient new build homes today, otherwise known as ultra-efficient homes, which incorporates innovate construction. It can do this by using up to date technologies. This takes place early on from the foundation process to the key being turned in the door of the finished home.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Citizenship"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Untitled.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=511"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/511\/revisions\/520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ssrc.ie\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}