Shaping blue growth: Social sciences at the nexus between marine renewables and energy policy

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Date
2018-08-24
Authors
Kerr, Sandy
Watts, Laura
Brennan, Ruth
Howell, Rhys
Graziano, Marcello
O'Hagan, Anne Marie
van der Horst, Dan
Weir, Stephanie
Wright, Glen
Wynne, Brian
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Palgrave Pivot, Cham
Research Projects
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Abstract
The development of the Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) industry is part of the EC Blue Growth Strategy. It brings together a range of relationships across people, sea, and energy, from developers to local communities and policymakers. This calls for diverse approaches, moving beyond an oppositional mindset to one that can establish an inclusive community around MRE development. Ownership of the marine environment is a legal issue, but MRE devices operate within a cultural and emotional sense of place. Early, sustained community engagement and advocacy is crucial to developing an industry whose impacts are likely to be felt before its social benefits materialise. Crucially, local communities could be supported by Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research in creating new mythologies and imaginaries through which MRE technologies become an integral part of their culture, as well as part of their biophysical environment. A complex physical, political, and legal environment provides the context for these new marine energy technologies, and its development provides opportunities for SSH research to address issues around the sea and to integrate into the design of new marine energy seascapes.
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Keywords
Marine energy , Engagement , Mythologies , Disparities , Communities , Tidal , Wave
Citation
Kerr, S., Watts, L., Brennan, R., Howell, R., Graziano, M., O’Hagan, A.M., van der Horst, D., Weir, S., Wright, G. and Wynne, B., 2018. Shaping Blue Growth: Social Sciences at the Nexus Between Marine Renewables and Energy Policy. In Advancing Energy Policy. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. (16pp). DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-99097-2_3