SPARK:
Futures of Sustainable Mobility in York
As the sociologist John Urry (2007) argues, we all live in a ‘system of automobility’ that dominates our lives in so many aspects, and one which has a clear environmental impact in terms of carbon emissions and air pollution. In York, the City Council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and in 2022 produced a draft Climate Change strategy that has the aim of York achieving a state of ‘net zero’ in 2030. To achieve Net Zero by 2030 requires dramatic changes to how we travel given that more than a quarter of York’s Co2 emissions comes from how its citizens and visitors move around the city, primarily in their cars. However, sociologically, when we consider how we travel we realise that it’s always so much more than just being about transport; travel involves industrial networks, energy production and use, social norms, habits and cultural meanings. This podcast reflects on the need to foster a ‘just transition’ away from the current ‘system of automobility’ and the role that sociology can play in this process, in order to address the urgencies of the climate crisis.
Listen to the podcast beleow to learn more!
Richard Tutton is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of York. He studies social and technological futures.
