WHERE ELSE MIGHT EDUCATION BE NEEDED?

At this point, I decided to take several steps back again to re-evaluate where I was with my research questions and potential solutions. I revisited education broadly to ask where else it could help with fuel poverty and decarbonisation.

Leaning more towards decarbonisation this time, I realised an overlap between education and misconceptions. This was something highlighted in the Union of Concerned Scientists (2014) summary, and something that visual communication could have significant power to address.

WHAT SPECIFIC MISCONCEPTIONS EXIST AROUND RENEWABLE ENERGY?

By addressing specific misconceptions, I could perhaps go some way to changing society’s opinion of renewables, which would in turn increase the rate of acceptance and adoption and help those in need.

For me to address misconceptions around renewable energy I looked more closely at what those misconceptions may be. I found that misconceptions commonly exist around the following (see Sustainability for All 2019):

• Expense
• Rate of energy production
• Manufacturing requirements
• Noise pollution (i.e., wind turbines)
• Impact on wildlife
• Impact on human health
• Reliability

Any one – if not all - of these could be addressed by a persuasive visual communication package.

PSYCHOLOGY AND ENGAGEMENT WITH DECARBONISATION

I started to think more about the social psychology of engagement with decarbonisation. Part of the solution to any concrete I discover could very well be grounded in understanding persuasive visual messaging. This would be something I meditated more on as I went forward.

As I social psychologist I have a wealth of knowledge in terms of interpersonal interactions, including persuasive strategies. I am less studied around visual persuasion, so welcomed the opportunity to look closer at this.