Low Carbon Communities
Imaginative Approaches to Combating Climate Change Locally

This timely and engaging volume explores both the promise of community-based action in tackling climate change and some of its limitations.

This book will prove a stimulating read for academic researchers in the fields of climate change science, local and national level policy analysis and governance research. Local authorities, development agencies and policy makers seeking to understand and to influence the behaviours and practices of 'energy consumers' and the communities in which they live will also find much to inspire them.

Contents:
Preface: The Research Group on Lifestyles, Values and Environment (RESOLVE)
Foreword Ian Christie
Introduction
PART I: FACILITATING THE LOW CARBON TRANSITION: THEORETICAL AND INTELLECTUAL UNDERSTANDINGS OF COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL CHANGE 1. Community Engagement and Social Organization: Introducing Concepts, Policy and Practical Applications Michael Peters
2. Sustainable Communities: Neo-Tribalism between Modern Lifestyles and Social Change David Evans
3. The Social Dimensions of Behaviour Change: An Overview of Community-based Interventions to Encourage Pro-environmental Behaviours
Wokje Abrahamse
PART II: CHALLENGES FOR LOCAL LEVEL CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY AND ALTERNATIVE MODELS FOR LOW CARBON COMMUNITY GOVERNANCE 4. Transforming the Nation-state through Environmentalism: Political Influences on a Multi-level Governance Framework in the UK Shane Fudge
5. The Role of Local Authorities in Galvanizing Action to Tackle Climate Change: A Practitioner's Perspective Simon Roberts
6. Mobilizing Sustainability: Partnership Working between a Pro-cycling NGO and Local Government in London Justin Spinney
7. Low Carbon Communities and the Currencies of Change Gill Seyfang
8. Decarbonizing Local Economies: A New Low Carbon, High Well-being Model of Local Economic Development Elizabeth Cox and Victoria Johnson
PART III: MODELS OF SUSTAINABLE AND LOW CARBON COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES 9. The Community Carbon Reduction Programme Simon Gerrard
10. Global Action Plan's EcoTeams Programme Scott Davidson
11. Woking Borough Council: Working Towards a Low Carbon Community Lara Curran
12. Intentional Community Carbon Reduction and Climate Change Action: From Ecovillages to Transition Towns Joshua Lockyer
13. Energy Conscious Households in Action (ECHO Action) Elliot Bushay
14. The HadLOW CARBON Community: Behavioural Evolution in the Face of Climate Change Howard Lee and Julie Taylor
15. Empowering Farmers to React and to Act: From an Anti-golf Course Pressure Group to a Community-based Farmers' Cooperative
Mario Cardona
Epilogue: Retrofitting Buildings Viewed as a Civil Engineering Project
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Just Do It Michael Kelly
Index