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Energy Issues: Psychological Aspects

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Handbook of Environmental Psychology and Quality of Life Research

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

Human beings have always needed energy in order to survive. However, unlike other living organisms, human civilizations have developed tools throughout history and found new forms of energy to power them. As these tools have increased in complexity, humans have ensured their own well-being although this has come at a price to life on earth. This chapter presents the development of research concerning energy use from an environmental psychology perspective. In general, the studies in environmental psychology about energy are organized into two major topics: renewable energies and both efficient and reduced energy use (concern and saving). To present these studies, the chapter is divided into four sections. The first provides a short introduction to the social and psychological aspects of energy issues. The second explores the production and distribution of energy through studies about the acceptance and rejection of renewable energy production and distribution systems, including topics such as participation, place identity and perception of landscape change. Section three deals with energy efficiency and includes studies about managing demand, the use of energy-efficient devices and questions of how to prevent the rebound effect. The final section explores energy sufficiency through studies concerning energy demands, different energy cultures and sustainable energy communities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Rafaella Lenoir-Improta

  2. Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, England

    Patrick Devine-Wright

  3. Coordinator of People-Environment Research Group, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    José Q. Pinheiro

  4. Department of Teaching and Research Lab Sustainable Development, Integrated Institute for Sustainable Development, University of Applied Sciences Bochum, Bochum, Germany

    Petra Schweizer-Ries

Authors
  1. Rafaella Lenoir-Improta
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  2. Patrick Devine-Wright
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  3. José Q. Pinheiro
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  4. Petra Schweizer-Ries
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Correspondence to Rafaella Lenoir-Improta .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychology, University of Nantes, Nantes, France

    Ghozlane Fleury-Bahi

  2. Department of Social Psychology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Enric Pol

  3. Faculty of Psychology, University of Nantes, Nantes, France

    Oscar Navarro

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Lenoir-Improta, R., Devine-Wright, P., Pinheiro, J.Q., Schweizer-Ries, P. (2017). Energy Issues: Psychological Aspects. In: Fleury-Bahi, G., Pol, E., Navarro, O. (eds) Handbook of Environmental Psychology and Quality of Life Research. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31416-7_30

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