Kersty Hobson

University of Oxford, School of Geography and the Environment, Course Director

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Papers by Kersty Hobson

Closing the loop or squaring the circle? Locating generative spaces for the circular economy

Heightened concerns about long-term sustainability have of late enlivened debates around the circ... more Heightened concerns about long-term sustainability have of late enlivened debates around the circular economy (CE). Defined as a series of restorative and regenerative industrial systems, parallel socio-cultural transformations have arguably received less consideration to date. In response, this paper examines the contributions human geographical scholarship can make to CE debates, focusing on ‘generative spaces’ of diverse CE practices. Concepts infrequently discussed within human geography such as product service systems and ‘prosumption’ are explored, to argue that productive potential exists in bringing these ideas into conversation with ongoing human geographical research into practices, materialities, emergent political spaces and ‘everyday activism’.

‘Weak’ or ‘strong’ sustainable consumption? Efficiency, degrowth, and the 10 Year Framework of Programmes

Although reducing levels and impacts of contemporary consumption and production has been a pivota... more Although reducing levels and impacts of contemporary consumption and production has been a pivotal socioenvironmental goal for decades, global resource use continues to grow rapidly, particularly across the Asia-Pacific region. Responses such as the ‘10 Year Framework of Programmes on Consumption and Production Patterns’ (10YFP)—an outcome of the 2012 Rio+20 Summit—suggest that nothing short of highly coordinated and multilevel concerted efforts are required to begin to address such trends. However, some commentators fear that the 10YFP will default to ‘weak’ forms of sustainable consumption intervention, focusing on efficiency and technological innovation. By contrast, many are calling for ‘strong’ interventions such as those expounded by the degrowth movement. With this paper I examine both these weak and strong approaches to sustainable consumption, and argue that—although this dichotomy describes two divergent streams of thought and practice—there are conceptual and practice-based spaces where they intersect. Along with a much-needed expansion of the geographical scope of current research and practice, I thus argue that these spaces present one way forward for work in this field.

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Single product, multi-lifetime components: challenges for Product-Service System development

by Ben Bridgens, Garrath T Wilson, Kersty Hobson, and James Succkling

The rapid turnover in consumer electronics, fuelled by increased global consumption, has resulted... more The rapid turnover in consumer electronics, fuelled by increased global consumption, has resulted in negative environmental and social consequences. Consumer electronics are typically disposed of into UK landfills; exported to developing countries; incinerated; retained in households in a redundant state; or otherwise 'lost' with very few being recycled. As a result, the high value metals they contain are not effectively recovered and new raw materials must be extracted to produce more goods. To assist in a transition from the current throwaway society towards a circular economy, the Closed Loop Emotionally Valuable E-waste Recovery (CLEVER) project is developing a novel Product-Service System (PSS). In the proposed PSS, component parts with 'low-emotional value', but requiring regular technical upgrade (such as circuit boards, chips and other electronic components) will be owned by manufacturers and leased to customers, and potentially 'high-emotional value' components (such as the outer casing) will be owned and valued by the customer so that they become products that are kept for longer periods of time. This research conceptualizes a consumer electronic device as comprising a 'skin'-the outer casing, or the part that the user interacts with directly; a 'skeleton'-the critical support components inside the device; and 'organs'-the high-tech electronics that deliver the product's core functionality. Each of these has different longevity requirements and value-chain lifetimes, engendering different levels of stakeholder interaction. This paper contributes to academic debate by exploring the feasibility of creating a PSS which addresses conflicting issues for different components within the same device with different optimal lifetimes and end-of-life fates.

Monitoring and evaluation in UK lowcarbon community groups: benefits, barriers and the politics of the local

by Kersty Hobson and Jo Hamilton

In the UK, there now exist hundreds of low-carbon community groups (LCCGs) that aim to decrease c... more In the UK, there now exist hundreds of low-carbon community groups (LCCGs) that aim to decrease collective resource consumption and/or generate renewable energy through diverse social and environmental interventions. These groups have in recent years become the subject of political attention and funding schemes, underpinned by beliefs that LCCGs are key to fostering resilience to climate change and meeting national-level greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. While previous research into LCCGs has focused on drivers, barriers and outcomes of LCCG action, there is now growing policy and academic interest in groups' capacities for, and uses of, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) processes and tools. However, little is known about the experiences, opportunities and potential challenges for LCCGs undertaking M&E. In response, this paper draws on a Knowledge Exchange project that explored M&E processes and tools with a sample of UK LCCGs. It outlines the benefits and drawbacks of groups' attempts to achieve change and to account for their outcomes and/or impacts, individually, and as part of a wider movement. It argues that, while M&E could be one way for groups to "scale up" their impact without losing their grounding in place and community, issues of capacity, resources and utility remain paramount.

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What sceptics believe: The effects of information and deliberation on climate change scepticism

Public Understanding of Science, 2013

Scepticism about climate change now appears a pervasive social phenomenon. Research to date has e... more Scepticism about climate change now appears a pervasive social phenomenon. Research to date has examined the different forms that scepticism can take, from outright denial to general uncertainty. Less is known about what climate sceptics value and believe beyond their climate change doubt, as well as how "entrenched" such beliefs are. In response, this paper discusses research into public reactions to projected climate change in the Australian Capital Region. Using Q Methodology and qualitative data, it outlines five discourses of scepticism and explores the impact regional-scale climate scenarios and a deliberative forum had on these discourses. Results show that both forms of intervention stimulate "discourse migration" amongst research participants. However, migrations are rarely sustained, and sceptical positions are infrequently dispelled outright, suggesting the relationship between climate scepticism, broader beliefs, and the methods used to inform and debate about climate change, are pivotal to comprehending and addressing this issue.

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On the making of the environmental citizen

Environmental Politics, 2013

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Public responses to climate change: The role of deliberation in building capacity for adaptive action

Global Environmental Change, 2011

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Reasons to Be Cheerful: Thinking Sustainably in a (Climate) Changing World

Geography Compass, 2008

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Political animals? On animals as subjects in an enlarged political geography

Political Geography, 2007

This paper is positioned within on-going debates about the expansion and re-theorization of polit... more This paper is positioned within on-going debates about the expansion and re-theorization of political geography's ambit. It argues that animals could and should be included as subjects within sub-disciplinary research. Whilst political ecologists regularly employ animal conservation case studies to detail the complexities of struggles over resource distributions, this work often frames animals as static components of a thoroughly human sociality. This paper draws on conceptual debates within cultural geography, in particular those pertaining to ‘animal’ and ‘hybrid’ geographies. It argues that animals be viewed as dynamic beings, inextricable to political processes, and integral to the formation and operation of the political networks that regulate, protect and exploit them. This assertion is elaborated here through discussions of recent campaigns to end bear bile farming in East Asia, in particular, the work of the Hong Kong-based charity Animals Asia Foundation. This example aims to illuminate the potential strengths and limitations of arguing through a ‘hybrid geography’ lens, and aims to stimulate further debate around the standing of animals within an enlarged and enlarging political geography.

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Bins, Bulbs, and Shower Timers: On the ‘Techno-Ethics’ of Sustainable Living

Ethics, Place & Environment, 2006

Domestic eco-efficient technologies, such as recycling bins and compact florescent light bulbs, a... more Domestic eco-efficient technologies, such as recycling bins and compact florescent light bulbs, are integral to the eco-modernisation project. To date, however, little research has examined their role in the production of ‘sustainable citizens’. In response, this paper explores the productivities of commonplace domestic objects. It draws on qualitative research into a Sydney-based sustainable living programme called ‘GreenHome’, to examine how participants’ environmental ethics became articulated through objects’ use. This forges a form of embodied ‘techno-ethics’ that permeates socio-material relations beyond the immediate. Therefore, this examination of the quotidian deployment of eco-efficient technologies, whilst not denying the problematic nature of technologically-dependant futures, suggests some positive outcomes from individuals’ enrolment in domestic eco-modernisation.

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Environmental psychology and the geographies of ethical and sustainable consumption: aligning, triangulating, challenging

Area, 2006

Human geographers’ research into lay responses to burgeoning environmental issues has highlighted... more Human geographers’ research into lay responses to burgeoning environmental issues has highlighted their mediated and contingent constitution. Situated within the discipline's cultural turn, this work has challenged prevailing informational and cognitive approaches to sustainability. In doing so, however, potentially informative concepts and findings from environmental psychology have been sidelined. In this paper I attempt a modest allying of the two sub-disciplines, outlining their differences and similarities, and arguing that environmental psychology can triangulate with human geography, as well as challenge tendencies within human geography literatures to simplify the ‘psychological’ subject.

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Thinking Habits into Action: the role of knowledge and process in questioning household consumption practices

Local Environment, 2003

Despite occupying a central place in the sustainable development paradigm, calls for individuals ... more Despite occupying a central place in the sustainable development paradigm, calls for individuals in high-income countries to adopt patterns of sustainable consumption have failed to gain ground in the past decade. The low uptake of public messages that emphasise links between the environment and the home are caused by a plethora of 'barriers to action', which range from individual circumstances to public norms and structures. This article argues that in addition to these barriers, consideration of how individuals read and react to sustainable consumption information is important. Based on interviews with participants of a sustainable behaviour change programme called Action at Home, this article considers both how, and in what form, knowledge is mobilised when individuals rethink their personal practices. Using Giddens' structuration theory, a framework is presented. This framework emphasises the importance of 'known' or 'local' information, as well as discursive processes, in addressing individual consumption practices and argues that a 'cultural politics' of sustainable consumption needs to be factored into on-going academic and policy debates.

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Consumption, Environmental Sustainability and Human Geography in Australia: a Missing Research Agenda

Australian Geographical Studies, 2003

Consumption' is a central concept in the global environmental sustainability agenda. However, one... more Consumption' is a central concept in the global environmental sustainability agenda. However, one important argument from Agenda 21 -that all social actors must now practise 'sustainable consumption' -has been publicly and politically marginalised in high-income countries such as Australia. Geographers potentially have a role in bringing consumption back onto the agenda by constructing a critical geography of consumption. Such research can help understand how the contextual use of natural resources is perceived and practised, and how consumption helps to shape contemporary social relations. This body of knowledge is vital for building sustainable development into everyday lives. Yet a focus on urban consumption perceptions and practices appears somewhat lacking in Australian geography. Ways forward can be drawn from international geography, such as in the United Kingdom where a substantial body of work has drawn a complex picture of contemporary consumption and environmental understanding. It has also challenged prevailing 'ecological modernisation' policy approaches, which ignore consumption's cultural facets. In sum, considering consumption in Australia can offer insights into cultural practices expressed through consumption; can challenge and add to European geographical literatures, and can also contribute to sustainability debates by offering alternatives to currently ineffective policy discourses.

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Sustainable Consumption in the United Kingdom: The “Responsible” Consumer and Government at “Arm’s Length

The Journal of Environment & Development, 2004

Asia-Pacific cities are experiencing substantial environmental problems, which require innovative... more Asia-Pacific cities are experiencing substantial environmental problems, which require innovative policy approaches. One newly emergent policy strand is that of 'sustainable consumption'. This approach aims to reduce environmental degradation by encouraging all consumers to adopt more environmentally friendly modes of behaviour, especially those living in congested and environmentally degraded urban areas. Although a promising initiative, significant conceptual and practical problems exist with sustainable consumption's current policy framework. However, rather than abandon the idea completely, consumption should become central to researching environmental issues in Asia-Pacific cities. Here, a 'political ecology' approach frames all forms of consumption as revealing political, economic and cultural practices and modes of distributions that give rise to current unsustainable outcomes. Through in-depth examinations of current forms of consumption, this approach aims to offer a challenging perspective for future research into Asia-Pacific urban environmental problems.

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Rapid Climate Change and Society: Assessing Responses and Thresholds

Risk Analysis, 2005

Assessing the social risks associated with climate change requires an understanding of how humans... more Assessing the social risks associated with climate change requires an understanding of how humans will respond because it affects how well societies will adapt. In the case of rapid or dangerous climate change, of particular interest is the potential for these responses to cross thresholds beyond which they become maladaptive. To explore the possibility of such thresholds, a series of climate change scenarios were presented to U.K. participants whose subjective responses were recorded via interviews and surveyed using Q methodology. The results indicate an initially adaptive response to climate warming followed by a shift to maladaptation as the magnitude of change increases. Beyond this threshold, trust in collective action and institutions was diminished, negatively impacting adaptive capacity. Climate cooling invoked a qualitatively different response, although this may be a product of individuals being primed for warming because it has dominated public discourse. The climate change scenarios used in this research are severe by climatological standards. In reality, the observed responses might occur at a lower rate of change. Whatever the case, analysis of subjectivity has revealed potential for maladaptive human responses, constituting a dangerous or rapid climate threshold within the social sphere.

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Enacting environmental justice in Singapore: Performative justice and the Green Volunteer Network

Geoforum, 2006

Environmental justice research has of late expanded beyond its’ original focus on the distributio... more Environmental justice research has of late expanded beyond its’ original focus on the distribution of environmental ‘bads’ to debate injustices at a wide array of sites and scales. Despite this expansion, the applicability of an environmental justice framework to seemingly apolitical and banal expressions of environmental concerns remains open to question. This paper argues that environmental justice struggles can be located in the mundane environmental politics of Singapore, by employing a performative rather than rights-based approach to both justice and politics. It draws on qualitative research into volunteers’ practices in one Singaporean environmental organisation, and asserts that through their focus on experiential learning and re-inscribing ‘developmental’ spaces as spaces of care and justice, volunteers seek to redress the social, political and environmental injustices replete within the spatial politics of Singapore.

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Championing the Compliance Model: From Common Sense to Common Action

This paper examines change &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;champions&amp... more This paper examines change &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;champions&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; in the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Specifically, it explores why certain ATO staff members have become the champions or advocates of the ATO Compliance Model, a tax compliance innovation introduced into the ATO through collaboration with researchers at the Australian National University. It seeks to understand why ATO champions chose to become the &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;translators&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39; of

Say no to the ATO': the cultural politics of protest against the Australian Tax Office

Social Movement Studies, 2004

... This lays the foundation for discussing why residents of Goldfields felt so compelled to defy... more

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