TRANSitions In Energy For Coastal Communities
Over Time And Space (TRANSECTS)
What is the TRANSECTS project?
The shift to marine renewable energies will transform the sustainability (the balance between economic growth, social well-being, and environmental care) and resilience (adapting to change, adversity and new opportunities) of coastal communities and adjacent seas. History tells us that previous energy transitions have led to profound environmental and socio-cultural change for local communities due to their often boom-and-bust nature.
Our team will explore previous experiences of these energy transitions. We will examine the shifts from non-renewable marine energy sources (whale oil in the 1800s through to offshore oil and gas in the later-1900s) to more sustainable renewable energy sources in the early-2000s. We will assess the raw energy sources. We will examine how nearby communities have been affected during transitions. We will investigate the fairness and equity of decisions made.
We will work directly with coastal communities to develop strategies to enable energy transitions that increases resilience for them and the environment they depend on.
The TRANSECTS project has four interlinked research areas:
The TRANSECTS project has four interlinked research areas:
Geographical focus
We will explore three cases: The Orkney Islands, East Coast Scotland and The Humber Estuary. Each has changed their main marine energy economic activity from whale oil via offshore fossil fuels to marine renewable energies and has experienced changing economic fortunes, marginalisation and (often hidden) hardship caused by these transitions.
The Orkney Islands
East Coast Scotland
The Humber Estuary
Geographical focus
We will explore three cases: The Orkney Islands, East Coast Scotland and The Humber Estuary. Each has changed their main marine energy economic activity from whale oil via offshore fossil fuels to marine renewable energies and has experienced changing economic fortunes, marginalisation and (often hidden) hardship caused by these transitions.
The Orkney Islands
East Coast Scotland
The Humber Estuary
Project partners
