1203 | 127 | Decarbonisation and Social Justice: the challenges of our time

Experiences of territorialization and existential sovereignty in contexts of dispossession and exclusion: _x000D_
_x000D_
The main hypothesis of the research is that the cause of both social inequalities and environmental degradation must be found in the process of commodification of nature and social relations to the imperative of profit (Bhattacharyya, 2018; Melamed, 2015; Singh, 2004; Robinson, 2000;…). Within this logic, the decarbonisation process is part of urban growth. As such, this growth can be either built on a capital-driven, resource-efficient productivity; or use its profound revolutionary potential to lift people out of poverty and improve their well-being. _x000D_
Despite its crucial importance, there is not much in the academic literature in terms of understanding what more- or else- would need to happen to make the transition to a low-carbon society -and its profound revolutionary potential- an advantage to a more equal and inclusive society. _x000D_
The overarching research question is:_x000D_
“What are the social impacts of mitigation policies in the transport sector in low-income neighbourhoods?”_x000D_
To answer it I produce an ethnographic study of the impact of such policies on the well-being of residents of Lawrence Hill, one of the most deprived areas of Bristol and home to the highest percentage of ethnic minority communities (Bristol: area profile, 2014). _x000D_
However, the research does not aim at describing oppression and disempowerment. On the contrary, through Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach, it aims at giving a voice to residents of Lawrence Hill to understand their definitions of well-being and how they can be incorporated in mitigation policies in the transport sector (Alkire, 2008; Sen, 2017, 1994, 1990;…)._x000D_
Overall, the research contributes to 1) a social justice theory of transport planning and 2) a narration of practices of existential sovereignty in context of dispossession in that it addresses coping strategies against the failure of mitigation policies.

Sara Melasecchi
University of the West of England, Bristol

ID Abstract: 127