Time to talk about values, time to say no

Be it solar panels or wind turbines, a town hall-style forum on proposed green energy plans where locals can have their say and gain a sense of trust in the process seems like the ideal setting to combat NIMBY-ism (Not In My Back Yard).

Not necessarily: a new study from the University of Groningen finds the stage a proposed project is in effectively dictates who will show up to a public forum, what their values are, and how likely they are to oppose those plans outright.

In their latest publication, “Time to talk about values, time to say no: What drives public participation in decision-making on energy projects?”, published in August in PLOS Climate professors Goda Perlaviciute and Lorenzo Squintani found that the stage of plans – more abstract and global versus concrete and local – influenced who was likely to show up at a public forum on proposed renewable energy projects.