Stephen Axon

Dr Stephen Axon

  • saxon at bournemouth dot ac dot uk
  • Lecturer in Sustainability
UN SDGs:
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Biography

I am a Lecturer in Sustainability in the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at Bournemouth University. My research focuses on the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability. Principally, my research investigates the challenges of making everyday life and the communities we live in more sustainable while evaluating the application of interventions and 'what works' approaches that facilitate and maintain inclusive, equitable, and participatory sustainable lifestyles. This research aims to advance both conceptual understanding and practical application of enhancing the efficacy, form, and function, of public engagement and collective action within sustainable communities.

Research

My current research and scholarship centres around 3 key areas: (1) public engagement with sustainable communities and behavioural/social practice changes for sustainable lifestyles; (2) energy and climate justice; and (3) environmental policy and governance.

My primary research interests and expertise centre on the ways in which diverse publics engage with sustainable communities and how collective action enhances individual sustainable lifestyles. Underpinned by social practice theory, engagement theory, and socio-technical transitions theoretical perspectives, I apply mixed methods approaches e.g., questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, and participatory methods to evaluate the interventions that can be applied to facilitate and sustain citizen engagement with community initiatives through behavioural and practice change. This area is transdisciplinary in nature and specifically draws upon environmental psychology, sociology of consumption, human and cultural geography, and sustainability science perspectives. Recently, I have explored how COVID-19 as a macro-level disruptive change influenced sustainable practices and the implications this has for sustainable communities and ongoing socio-technical transitions.

Within energy and climate justice, I explore how individuals, particularly from socio-economically deprived communities, conceptualise and respond (affectively and behaviourally) towards environmental changes while analysing the systemic inequities and unintended consequences of policy responses against vulnerable groups and how this leads to justice dilemmas and motivates individuals to become activists...

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Favourites

  • Axon, S., Lent, T. and Njoku, A., 2023. Shifting sustainable lifestyle practices and behaviour during times of pandemic disruptive change: Implications for on-going socio-technical transitions. Energy Research and Social Science, 102.
  • Martiskainen, M., Axon, S., Sovacool, B., Sareen, S., Furszyfer Del Rio, D. and Axon, K., 2020. Contextualizing climate justice activism: Knowledge, emotions, motivations, and actions among climate strikers in six cities. Global Environmental Change, 65.
  • Axon, S. and Morrissey, J., 2020. Just energy transitions? Social inequities, vulnerabilities, and unintended consequences. Buildings & Cities, 1 (1), 393-411.
  • Axon, S., 2020. The socio-cultural dimensions of community-based sustainability: Implications for transformational change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 266.
  • Axon, S., Morrissey, J., Aiesha, R., Hillman, J., Revez, A., Lennon, B., Salel, M., Dunphy, N. and Boo, E., 2018. The human factor: Classifying European community-based behavioural change initiatives. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182, 567-586.
  • Axon, S., 2017. “Keeping the ball rolling”: Addressing the enablers of, and barriers to, sustainable lifestyles. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 52, 11-25.
  • Axon, S., 2016. “The Good Life”: Engaging the public with community-based carbon reduction strategies. Environmental Science and Policy, 66, 82-92.

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:

Affordable and clean energy

"Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all"

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Sustainable cities and communities

"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"

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Responsible consumption and production

"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns"

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Climate action

"Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts"

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Journal Articles

  • Wakefield, A. and Axon, S., 2024. Scaling the Food Mountain: Implications for Addressing the Determinants of Consumer Food Waste Practices. Sustainability (Switzerland), 16 (21).
  • Axon, S., Chapman, A. and Light, D., 2024. Climate Impacts on Tangible Coastal Cultural Heritage in the United States: Towards Sustainable and Adaptive Coastal Heritage Management. Sustainability (Switzerland), 16 (16).
  • Axon, S., 2024. Unveiling Understandings of the Rio Declaration’s Sustainability Principles: A Case of Alternative Concepts, Misaligned (Dis)Connections, and Terminological Evolution. Sustainability (Switzerland), 16 (6).
  • Gallaher, A., Graziano, M., Axon, S. and Bertana, A., 2023. Breaking wind: A comparison between U.S. and European approaches in offshore wind energy leadership in the North Atlantic region. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 187.
  • Axon, S., Lent, T. and Njoku, A., 2023. Shifting sustainable lifestyle practices and behaviour during times of pandemic disruptive change: Implications for on-going socio-technical transitions. Energy Research and Social Science, 102.
  • Axon, S. and Collier, S., 2023. Breaking Blue: Establishing comprehensive policy for a just and inclusive transition for the Blue Economy. Marine Policy, 147.
  • Axon, S., Bertana, A., Graziano, M., Cross, E., Smith, A., Axon, K. and Wakefield, K., 2023. The U.S. Blue New Deal: What does it mean for Just Transitions, Sustainability and Resilience in the Blue Economy? Geographical Journal, 189 (2), 271-282.
  • Martiskainen, M., Axon, S., Sovacool, B., Sareen, S., Furszyfer Del Rio, D. and Axon, K., 2020. Contextualizing climate justice activism: Knowledge, emotions, motivations, and actions among climate strikers in six cities. Global Environmental Change, 65.
  • Wakefield, A. and Axon, S., 2020. “I’m a bit of a waster”: Identifying the enablers of, and barriers to, sustainable food waste practices. Journal of Cleaner Production, 275.
  • Morrissey, J., Schwaller, E., Dickson, D. and Axon, S., 2020. Affordability, Security, Sustainability? Grassroots Community Energy Visions from Liverpool, United Kingdom. Energy Research & Social Science, 70.
  • Axon, S. and Morrissey, J., 2020. Just energy transitions? Social inequities, vulnerabilities, and unintended consequences. Buildings & Cities, 1 (1), 393-411.
  • Axon, S., 2020. The socio-cultural dimensions of community-based sustainability: Implications for transformational change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 266.
  • Axon, S., 2019. Warning: Extinction Ahead! Theorizing the spatial disruption and place contestation of climate justice activism. Environment, Space and Place, 11 (2), 1-25.
  • Garland, M., Axon, S., Graziano, M., Morrissey, J. and Heidkamp, C.P., 2019. The Blue Economy: Identifying geographical concepts and sensitivities. Geography Compass, 13 (7).
  • Upham, P., Johanssen, K., Bögel, P., Axon, S., Girard, J. and Carney, S., 2018. Harnessing place attachment for local climate mitigation? Hypothesising connections between broadening representations of place and readiness for change. Local Environment: the international journal of justice and sustainability, 23 (9), 912-919.
  • Hillman, J., Axon, S. and Morrissey, J., 2018. Social enterprise as a potential niche innovation breakout for low carbon transition. Energy Policy, 117, 445-456.
  • Axon, S., Morrissey, J., Aiesha, R., Hillman, J., Revez, A., Lennon, B., Salel, M., Dunphy, N. and Boo, E., 2018. The human factor: Classifying European community-based behavioural change initiatives. Journal of Cleaner Production, 182, 567-586.
  • Axon, S., Chapman, A. and Light, D., 2017. Stakeholder engagement in coastal sustainability transitions: An emerging research agenda. Regions Magazine, 308 (4), 20-22.
  • Axon, S., Germond-Duret, C. and Morrissey, J., 2017. Coastal sustainability and the role of stakeholders in low-carbon transitions: A report from Liverpool, UK. Regions, 308 (4), 18-20.
  • Axon, S., 2017. Relocation, relocation: Perspectives on the spatio-temporal impacts of health service transitions. Geographical Journal, 183 (3), 272-284.
  • Axon, S., 2017. “Keeping the ball rolling”: Addressing the enablers of, and barriers to, sustainable lifestyles. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 52, 11-25.
  • Axon, S., 2016. “The Good Life”: Engaging the public with community-based carbon reduction strategies. Environmental Science and Policy, 66, 82-92.
  • Axon, S., 2016. “It’s second nature”: Sustaining public engagements with addressing climate change at the community level. Michigan Journal of Sustainability, 4, 61-79.
  • Axon, S., 2016. Sustaining public engagement with addressing climate change and the role of social solutions. International Journal of Sustainable Society, 8, 185-205.
  • Speake, J. and Axon, S., 2012. “I never use ‘maps’ anymore”: Engaging with Sat Nav technologies and the implications for cartographic literacy and spatial awareness. Cartographic Journal, 49 (4), 326-336.
  • Axon, S., Speake, J. and Crawford, K., 2012. ‘At the next junction, turn left’: attitudes towards Sat Nav use. Area, 44 (2), 170-177.
  • Axon, S., 2010. Addressing climate change and the role of technological solutions. Human Geographies: Journal of Studies and Research in Human Geography, 4 (1), 43-52.

Chapters

  • Gallaher, A. and Axon, S., 2024. Blue Transitions in the Global North vs. Global South: Governing Marine Renewables for a Sustainable Blue Economy. Handbook of Sustainable Blue Economy. Springer Nature.
  • Kelly, M. and Axon, S., 2022. Effective stakeholder engagement in coastal transitions: Floating away from the DAD model towards the MOM method. In: Heidkamp, C.P., Morrissey, J. and Germond-Duret, C., eds. Blue Economy: People and Regions in Transition. Oxon: Routledge, 26-37.
  • Axon, S., 2022. Community acceptance of blue energies: Identifying future research trajectories for understanding ‘place-technology fit’ perceptions. In: Heidkamp, C.P., Morrissey, J. and Germond-Duret, C., eds. Blue Economy: People and Regions in Transition. Oxon: Routledge, 38-51.
  • Axon, S., 2019. The human geographies of coastal sustainability transitions. In: Heidkamp, C.P. and Morrissey, J., eds. Towards Coastal Resilience and Sustainability. Oxon: Routledge, 276-291.

Reports

  • Morrissey, J., Axon, S., Hillman, J., Molinero, S. and Lennon, B., 2017. Innovation pathways to transition. ENTRUST.
  • Dunphy, N., Revez, A., Gaffney, C., Lennon, B., Ramis Aguilo, A., Morrissey, J. and Axon, S., 2017. Intersectional Analysis of Energy Practices. ENRTUST.
  • Axon, S., Aiesha, R. and Morrissey, J., 2017. Practices and technology deployment for efficiency. ENTRUST.
  • Aze, F., Molinero, S., Tart, S., Sanvicente, E., Dunphy, N., Lennon, B., Morrissey, J., Axon, S. and Woolford, J., 2017. Policy Tool-kit: Typology of Approaches. ENTRUST.
  • Morrissey, J., Axon, S., Aiesha, R., Hillman, J., Lennon, B. and Dunphy, N., 2017. Energy system visioning and low-carbon configuration,. ENTRUST.
  • Morrissey, J., Axon, S., Aiesha, R., Hillman, J., Salel, M., Dunphy, N. and Boo, E., 2016. Identification and Characterisation of Energy Behaviour Change Programmes. ENTRUST.
  • Salel, M., Axon, S. et al., 2016. Review of market-driven approaches in sustainable energy policies. ENTRUST.
  • Boo, E., Pasqualini, T., Dallamaggiore, E., Lennon, B., Maede, K., Chichinato, O., Axon, S. and Otal, J., 2016. Europeanisation of national policy dialogues on energy pathways. ENTRUST.
  • Landini, A., Zerbi, T., Morrissey, J. and Axon, S., 2016. Energy Policy and Regulation Landscape. ENTRUST.
  • Axon, S., 2015. Support for Carers (Phase 2). Healthwatch Staffordshire.
  • Axon, S., 2015. Patient Experience of the Royal Stoke University Hospital Accident and Emergency Department. Healthwatch Staffordshire.
  • Axon, S., 2015. The transition of services at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Healthwatch Staffordshire. Healthwatch Staffordshire.

Profile of Teaching PG

  • Environmental Law and Social Justice (Unit Leader)
  • Frontiers of Sustainability Science (Unit Leader)

Profile of Teaching UG

  • Environmental and Societal Challenges (Unit Leader)
  • Residential Field Trip
  • Contemporary Topics in Geography

Qualifications

  • PhD in Geography (University of Liverpool, 2015)
  • BSc (Hons) in Geography with Environmental Management (Liverpool Hope University, 2009)

Memberships

  • Climate Social Science Network, Member (2023-),
  • The Global Academy, Member (2021-),
  • Higher Education Academy, Fellow (2016-),
  • American Association of Geographers, Member (2012-),
  • Royal Geographical Society, Fellow (2011-),