Environment and sustainability

Offering a transdisciplinary perspective on environment and sustainability
Group of people protesting for an environmental cause.

Environment and sustainability

Offering a transdisciplinary perspective on environment and sustainability
Sustainability is integral to building resilient communities. It helps to develop environments that are vibrant and functional today, yet adaptable to future challenges. By prioritising environmental protection, economic resilience, social equity, and quality of life, sustainable placemaking fosters societies that are healthy, inclusive, and capable of thriving in the long term.

Environment and sustainability research insights

At Plymouth, we use the lens of place to offer a transdisciplinary perspective on environment and sustainability. Drawing from fields such as politics, geography, sociology, psychology, literature, education, and the arts, we focus on the human experience and values. 
Working with local communities, organisations, authorities and schools, we uncover cultural and social influences on environmental attitudes and explore ethical considerations to foster communication and advocacy and guide efforts toward a more sustainable future. 
Net Zero Visions – Tiverton Pannier Market Mural

Explore our research projects

Climate workshop with 16–21 year olds

Visualising Climate: young people’s responses to the climate emergency

Aerial view of Plymouth Sound

Green Minds – connecting people to green and blue spaces within and around the city of Plymouth

Sustainability Hub mural

The Net-Zero Visions – bringing together communities to creatively think about climate change

Landscapes for Deep Time Heidi Morstang

Mediating climate change: Intuitive interventions as defining strategies in visual arts

Is GTA5 mirroring the advance of climate change and plastic pollution?
Children’s Dreams of Future UK Treescapes Envisioned through Games

Children's Dreams of Future UK Treescapes Envisioned through Games

Aerial view of Plymouth

Scaling up climate education in schools

Recognition of excellence

Dr Heidi Morstang's film 47Ëšł¦ won the Jury Prize for Best Short Documentary Film in the Moving Creatures Award, , Colorado, USA.
The film was specifically created to communicate climate change science and has also been shown at exhibitions and events across Portugal, including the major international photography festival .
Heidi Morstang, still from 47c 
Get Involved Awards
Community groups, charities, and social enterprises were invited to collaborate with our researchers to gain a deeper understanding of local issues and acquire valuable insights. By developing new projects, our goal is to establish a network of community organisations and academics working together to exchange ideas and address real community challenges in our city through research and collaboration. 
2023 Get Involved Awards 

Plymouth Perspectives on Place

Girl using mobile smart phone. social media. shutterstock

Why is promoting your company’s sustainability narrative through social media still important?

If you’re not using the power of social media to promote your business then the truth is you’re being left behind.
Dr Hanne Knight   discusses the evidence suggesting that many of today’s ethically conscious consumers make purchasing choices based on a business’s sustainability credentials, and explores how small businesses can highlight these credentials through social media channels. 
Person holding handwritten cardboard sign that says 'save our planet' with illustrations of flowers

How can the education system help to fight the climate crisis?

If the education system is to rise to the challenge, there must be a step change in how it prepares young people for a rapidly changing world.
Professor Alison Anderson explores how this can be achieved through embedding climate change education across the secondary curriculum, alongside an emphasis on critical thinking and media literacy skills.

Our researchers

 

Recent books

Climate change and the looming planetary crisis have put unprecedented pressure on the near future, leading to an increasing amount of fiction being set there. But what can the imagination of the near future tell us about where we live now? 
The news media has become a key arena for staging environmental conflicts. Through illuminating examples, from climate change to oil spills, the book provides a timely and far-reaching analysis of the media politics of contemporary environmental debates.
 

SHAPE disciplines address global challenges associated with marine, health and sustainability through the lens of place

Through five place-based research themes, we investigate the intricate relationships between communities, the natural world, and technology.
 
Locally, we co-create sustainable solutions to complex problems in order to build resilient and thriving neighbourhoods, cities, and regions. This work transcends geographical, social and political boundaries to become applicable on a global level.
Place-based research concept: crowd of people standing on a computer motherboard.
SHAPE – Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts for People and the Economy