What drives developed countries' high rates of energy and resource consumption? How important are individual efforts versus technological or social innovations for environmental sustainability?A multidisciplinary study combining social science, energy analysis, and risk communication, this work occupies a unique niche in the literature. Few treatments of energy and the environment approach the problem through the larger social science framework of sustainable consumption, while sociological studies of consumption eschew quantitative modelling. This book incorporates both, using theories, research, and computer-aided interviews to illustrate the range and relative effectiveness of interventions that support sustainable energy consumption.

This book makes a case for a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to energy research-one that brings more of the social sciences to bear. Featuring eight studies from across the spectrum of the social sciences, each applying multiple disciplines to one or more energy-related problems, the book demonstrates the strong analytical and policy-making potential of such a broadened perspective. Case studies include: energy transitions of households in developing countries, the 'curse of oil', politics and visions for renewables, economics and ethics in emissions trading, and carbon capture and storage.

This book makes a case for a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to energy research-one that brings more of the social sciences to bear. Featuring eight studies from across the spectrum of the social sciences, each applying multiple disciplines to one or more energy-related problems, the book demonstrates the strong analytical and policy-making potential of such a broadened perspective. Case studies include: energy transitions of households in developing countries, the 'curse of oil', politics and visions for renewables, economics and ethics in emissions trading, and carbon capture and storage.

This multidisciplinary study combines social science, energy analysis, and risk communication, using theory, research, and computer-aided interviews to illustrate the range and relative effectiveness of interventions that support sustainable energy consumption. Based on award-winning research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the book combines analytical modeling techniques with social science on sustainable consumption.