Dr Lorraine Whitmarsh
Research Summary
I am interested in the psychological and social dimensions of environmental, risk and sustainability issues. My research, which employs both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis, focuses on three 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; and (c) innovation, perceived risk and behaviour change with respect to sustainable transport and consumption.
As well as lecturing in 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).
Teaching Summary
Levels 1 and 2: I run social psychology practicals (PS2007), and give tutorials on psychological research, social, developmental and abnormal psychology (supporting PS1014, PS2007, PS2008, PS2011).
Level 3: My lectures in PS3415 (Environmental Psychology) cover environmental attitudes and behaviour, risk perception, risk communication, and recycling and climate change case studies. I supervise projects in environmental psychology.
Postgraduate: I give two lectures on the Postgraduate Research Design and Statistics module for research students. The first introduces students to philosophical, ethical and analytical issues in psychological research; the other focuses on conducting mixed-methods research.
Selected Publications (2008 onwards)
Whitmarsh, L. & O’Neill, S. (in press). Green identity, green living? The role of pro-environmental self-identity in determining consistency across diverse pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L. & Köhler, J. (in press). Climate change and cars in the EU: the roles of auto firms, consumers, and policy in responding to global environmental change. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society. [pdf]
Köhler, J., Wietschel, M., Whitmarsh, L., Keles, D. & Schade, W. (in press). Infrastructure investment for a transition to Hydrogen automobiles. Technological Forecasting & Social Change. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L. & Lorenzoni, I. (2010). Behaviour, perceptions and communication of climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(2), 158-161. [pdf]
Nye, M., Whitmarsh, L. & Foxon, T. (2010). Socio-psychological perspectives on the active roles of domestic actors in transition to a lower carbon electricity economy. Environment & Planning A, 42(3), 697-714. [pdf]
Köhler, J., Whitmarsh, L., Nykvist, B., Schilperoord, M., Bergman, N. & Haxeltine, A. (2009). A transitions model for sustainable mobility. Ecological Economics, 68(12), 2985-2995. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L. (2009). Book Review: ‘Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision-Making, Panel on Public Participation in Environmental Assessment and Decision-Making’, Thomas Dietz and Paul C. Stern (Eds). Environmental Science & Policy, 12, 1069-1072. [pdf]
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. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L. (2009). Behavioural responses to climate change: Asymmetry of intentions and impacts. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29, 13-23. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L., Turnpenny, J. & Nykvist, B. (2009). Beyond the regime: can Integrated Sustainability Assessment address the barriers to effective sustainable mobility policy? Journal of Environmental Planning & Management, 52(8), 973-991.
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. [pdf]
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. [pdf]
Nykvist, B. & Whitmarsh, L. (2008). A multi-level analysis of sustainable mobility transitions: Niche development in the UK and Sweden. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 75, 1373–1387. [pdf]
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. [pdf]
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. [pdf]
Haxeltine, A., Whitmarsh, L., Rotmans, J., Köhler, J., Bergman, N. & Schilperoord, M. (2008). Conceptual framework for transition modelling. International Journal of Innovation & Sustainable Development, 3(1-2), 93-114. [pdf]
Bergman, N., Haxeltine, A., Whitmarsh, L., Köhler, J., Schilperoord, M. & Rotmans, J. (2008). Modelling socio-technical transition patterns and pathways. Journal of Artificial Societies & Social Simulation, 11(3)7. [pdf]
Whitmarsh, L. & Wietschel, M. (2008). Sustainable transport visions: What role for hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle technologies? Energy and Environment, 19(2), 207-226. [pdf]