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...
My third strand of research interest centres on environmental governance and policy as it relates to sustainability transitions, specifically offshore renewable developments e.g., blue energy installations, and the justice implications this has for coastal communities. I am particularly interested in how comprehensive policy frameworks (e.g., Blue New Deal, Blue Growth etc.) seek to establish conservation practices in the blue economy yet disregard the socio-environmental challenges they purport to address. In this area, I particularly employ policy analyses as a methodological approach for producing key insights.
I welcome email enquiries from any potential PhD students. If you’re interested in pursuing a PhD in any of the three areas mentioned above, please do get in touch.
Additionally, my research is of direct relevance to a wide range of audiences outside academia, and I am always keen to develop new partnerships and collaborations both within and beyond the academy. Please contact me if you’re interested in collaborating with me.
moreFavourites
- 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"
Sustainable cities and communities
"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"
Responsible consumption and production
"Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns"
