Public Perceptions of “Benefits” and Risks on the Path to Net Zero

Deep decarbonization will require all kinds of new industries and technologies, including renewables, critical minerals refining and battery manufacturing, low-carbon fuels, carbon management, and more. What benefits do communities expect from new clean energy projects and infrastructure? What risks do they see in developing new industries, and how do people think about the tradeoffs between these risks and benefits?

This Energy Policy Seminar featured Holly Buck, a 2024-25 Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow and Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. Drawing on mixed-methods research conducted in 2023-2024 that involved interviews with community leaders, focus groups with the public, and surveys in five different regions of the United States, Buck discussed some of the common benefits people identified as desirable, and the obstacles they saw to making those benefits real.

Recording

About the Speaker

Holly Jean Buck is an Associate Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. She is an environmental social scientist and human geographer whose research focuses on public engagement with emerging climate and energy technologies. She holds a Ph.D. in Development Sociology from Cornell University. Currently, she is a 2024-25 Radcliffe-Salata Climate Justice Fellow at Harvard University, where she is working on a book about rural futures.