Dr Lorraine Whitmarsh
My research, which employs both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, focuses on four main areas:
(a) public engagement with climate change, carbon literacy, carbon offsetting, and low-carbon lifestyles;
(b) public/stakeholder participation in sustainability science and policy;
(c) innovation and behaviour change with respect to sustainable transport and consumption; and
(d) goal identification, conflict and change.
As well as lecturing in environmental psychology at Cardiff, I am also a Visiting Fellow at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and a Research Associate at the ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society (BRASS).
Selected Publications
Whitmarsh, L. & Lorenzoni, I. (in press). Behaviour, perceptions and communication of climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change.
Nye, M., Whitmarsh, L. & Foxon, T. (in press). Socio-psychological perspectives on the active roles of domestic actors in transition to a lower carbon electricity economy. Environment & Planning A.
Whitmarsh, L., Swartling, Å. & Jäger, J. (2009). Participation of experts and non-experts in a sustainability assessment of mobility. Environmental Policy & Governance, 19, 232-250.
Whitmarsh, L. (2009). Behavioural responses to climate change: Asymmetry of intentions and impacts. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29, 13-23.
Whitmarsh, L. (2009). What’s in a name? Commonalities and differences in public understanding of “climate change” and “global warming”. Public Understanding of Science, 18, 401–420.
Ockwell, D., Whitmarsh, L. & O’Neill, S. (2009). Reorienting climate change communication for effective mitigation – forcing people to be green or fostering grass-roots engagement? Science Communication, 30(3), 305-327.
Whitmarsh, L. (2008). Are flood victims more concerned about climate change than other people? The role of direct experience in risk perception and behavioural response. Journal of Risk Research, 11(3), 351-374.
Whitmarsh, L. & Nykvist, B. (2008). Integrated sustainability assessment of mobility transitions: Simulating stakeholders’ visions of and pathways to sustainable land-based mobility. International Journal of Innovation & Sustainable Development, 3(1-2), 115-127.
Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2007). Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications. Global Environmental Change, 17(3-4), 445-459.
Research Projects
Action-Based Research: An analysis of the effectiveness of different approaches of encouraging pro-energy-efficient behavioural change and an examination of the factors affecting behavioural persistence
Funding: DEFRA. Dates: 2009-2011
Greener Living Fund: Degrees Cooler: greening the HE sector through behavioural change
Funding: DEFRA. Dates: 2009-2011
Supporting REseArch on Climate-friendly Transport (REACT)
Funding: European Commission, Framework Programme 7. Dates: 2009-2011
Living with Environmental Change (LWEC) Research Synthesis: A review of public attitudes to environmental change
Funding: ESRC. Dates: 2009
CreativeData – Manifestations of Climate Change in the Norfolk Broads
Funding: Beacons for Public Engagement (RCUK), CUE-East. Dates: 2009
Unlocking habits to enable pro-environmental behaviours
Funding: DEFRA. Dates: 2008-2009
Public engagement with climate change through creative writing
Funding: Science & Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex. Dates: 2008-2009
Carbon offsetting and pro-environmental behaviour
Funding: Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Dates: 2008-2009
ADAM (Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies: supporting European climate policy)
Funding: EU Framework 6 Programme. Dates: 2006-2009
MATISSE (Methods and Tools for Integrated Sustainability Assessment)
Funding: EU Framework 6 Programme. Dates: 2005-2008
Sense of Place
Funding: Norfolk Rural Community Council (UK). Dates: 2007-2008
Connecting Science
Funding: British Science Association. Dates: 2005
Conflict and Cooperation in Higher Education
Funding: RMS Ltd. Dates: 2007-2009
Charting Graduates’ Life Trajectories
Funding: RMS Ltd. Dates: 2004-2006
Research Students
Sara Cartright
Lucy Green
Related Links
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research: www.tyndall.ac.uk
ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society (BRASS): www.brass.cf.ac.uk
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews - Climate Change: www.wiley.com/wires/climatechange
British Science Association: www.britishscienceassociation.org
MATISSE project: www.matisse-project.net
Understanding Risk group: www.cardiff.ac.uk/psych/subsites/understandingrisk/index.html
CreativeData project: www.cru.uea.ac.uk/projects/creativedata/index.htm
Telic Systems Research: www.telic-systems-research.org