Mapping the Spatio-Temporalities of Energy Poverty and Vulnerabilities in England

Date: Wednesday, 27 Oct 2021 | 16:00-17:00 CET

Abstract: The issue of energy poverty has gained increasing recognition globally, highlighting the uneven distribution of energy services in the home. Owing to a multi-dimensional range of drivers, vulnerability to energy poverty is socially and spatially variable varying considerably between, and within, different national contexts. Drawing on concepts of energy vulnerability and justice, this talk examines the complex geographies of energy poverty in England. Spatio-temporal analysis of a decade of sub-regional energy poverty estimates used in policy-making provides an insight into how different types of areas and households fall into and out of energy poverty, as indicators and policy evolve over time. Recognising the relatively narrow understanding of energy poverty in policy, the talk also considers what might be missing from our understanding of the geographies of energy poverty, theorising and mapping the different types of energy vulnerability that arise through the relationship between energy poverty and gender.

Speaker Biography: Caitlin is a quantitative human geographer and Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Planning at the University of Liverpool, where she is a member of the Geographic Data Science Lab (GDSL). Her research investigates the causes and consequences of different types of spatial inequality, with a particular interest in energy poverty and energy justice. Methodologically, Caitlin takes a theory-led approach to spatial analysis, using quantitative, spatial datasets and methods to understand inequality across multiple scales. Caitlin is a Supergen Energy Networks Early Career Representative, a member of the GIS Research UK (GISRUK) National Committee, and Equality and Diversity Officer for the Royal Geographical Society Quantitative Methods Research Group (QMRG). She will also co-chair the GISRUK 2022 national conference.