![Catherine Cherry](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/4808?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Overview
I am an environmental social scientist with an interdisciplinary background that cuts across social and environmental science disciplines. My research has two core strands: 1) public participation and visioning for a low-carbon future, and 2) climate/net-zero discourses (in policy and media) and how they interact with public perceptions. Methodologically, I am a qualitative researcher, using participatory, anticipatory and place-based methods to engage publics with these issues and their implications for everyday life. I have a strong focus on policy impact and the main motivation for my work is to give diverse publics a greater voice in climate policy making at both a national and local level.
I am currently a Co-I at the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations, (CAST) which aims to explore how people can live differently and better, whilst still achieving radical emissions reductions. I have responsibility for delivering two within CASTs Visioning theme: Project 1.1 'Public engagement for 'desirable' and 'feasible' visions of change' and Project 1.5 'Media representation of climate change and transformative action'. As Co-I on the Citizens’ Assemblies on Climate Change project, I was also an official researcher at the Climate Assembly UK. Prior to this, my research has explored public understandings and imaginaries surrounding a range of climate and energy related topics, including: the circular economy, the sharing economy, local decentralised energy systems, and low-carbon housing.
Publication
2025
- Demski, C. et al. 2025. Opening-up or closing-down climate deliberations: comparing the Climate Assembly UK and French Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat. Environmental Research Communications 7 (6) 065004. (10.1088/2515-7620/addc3e)
2024
- Cherry, C. , Verfuerth, C. and Demski, C. 2024. Discourses of climate inaction undermine public support for 1.5 °C lifestyles. Global Environmental Change 87 102875. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102875)
- Cherry, C. , Verfuerth, C. and Demski, C. 2024. Social visions for a low-carbon future. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff Univesrity. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-social-visions-for-a-low-carbon-future-report.pdf.
- Roberts, E. et al. 2024. Attuning to ambiguous atmospheres: currents of air, discourse and time in a steel town. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 49 (3) e12631. (10.1111/tran.12631)
- Verfuerth, C. et al. 2024. Catalysts of change: People at the heart of climate transformations. Project Report.[Online].Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-key-messages-from-five-years-of-social-science-research-on-climate-change-report.pdf.
- Zanin, B. et al., 2024. Five principles for good public engagement: How to get people involved in the climate conversation. Other. Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations: CAST. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-cast-briefing-29-five-principles-for-good-public-engagement-how-to-get-people-involved-in-the-climate-conversation.pdf.
2023
- Groves, C. et al. 2023. Putting visions in their place: Responsible research and innovation for energy system decarbonization. Journal of Responsible Innovation 10 (1) 2149954. (10.1080/23299460.2022.2149954)
2022
- Cherry, C. et al. 2022. A personas-based approach to deliberating local decarbonisation scenarios: findings and methodological insights. Energy Research and Social Science 87 102455. (10.1016/j.erss.2021.102455)
- Thomas, G. et al. 2022. “It’s not a very certain future”: Emotion and infrastructure change in an industrial town. Geoforum 132 , pp.81-91. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.04.003)
2021
- Cherry, C. et al. 2021. Citizens' climate assemblies: Understanding public deliberation for climate policy.. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Groves, C. et al. 2021. The future is flexible? Exploring expert visions of energy system decarbonisation. Futures 130 102753. (10.1016/j.futures.2021.102753)
- Groves, C. et al. 2021. A missing link? Capabilities, the ethics of care, and the relational context of energy justice. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 22 (2), pp.249-269. (10.1080/19452829.2021.1887105)
- Pidgeon, N. et al. 2021. ‘A little self-sufficient town close to the beach’: local energy system transformation through the lens of place and public things. In: Webb, J. , Wade, F. and Tingey, M. eds. Research Handbook on Energy and Society. Edward Elgar. , pp.299-316.
- Shirani, F. et al. 2021. ‘Who cares about valley people?’ – lived experiences of energy vulnerability in the South Wales valleys. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice 29 (1), pp.103-120. (10.1332/175982720X16074511160827)
2020
- Capstick, S. et al. 2020. Climate change citizens' assemblies: CAST briefing paper 03.
- Groves, C. et al. 2020. ‘The bills are a brick wall’: narratives of energy vulnerability, poverty and adaptation in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 70 101777. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101777)
2019
- Groves, C. et al. 2019. Better energy futures: Developing a framework for addressing fuel poverty poverty. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
2018
- Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2018. Is sharing the solution? Exploring public acceptability of the sharing economy. Journal of Cleaner Production 195 , pp.939-948. (10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.278)
- Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2018. Why is ownership an issue? Exploring factors that determine public acceptance of product-service systems. Sustainability 10 (7) 2289. (10.3390/su10072289)
- Cherry, C. et al. 2018. Public acceptance of resource-efficiency strategies to mitigate climate change. Nature Climate Change 8 , pp.1007-1012. (10.1038/s41558-018-0298-3)
- Peake, L. et al., 2018. By popular demand: what people want from a resource efficient economy.
- Shirani, F. et al. 2018. UK smart living demonstrator (better energy futures) – research report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
2017
- Cherry, C. et al. 2017. Homes as machines: Exploring expert and public imaginaries of low carbon housing futures in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 23 , pp.36-45. (10.1016/j.erss.2016.10.011)
2015
- Cherry, C. 2015. Exploring discourses of decarbonisation: the social construction of low carbon housing. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
- Cherry, C. et al. 2015. Media discourses of low carbon housing: The marginalisation of social and behavioural dimensions within the British broadsheet press. Public Understanding of Science 24 (3), pp.302-310. (10.1177/0963662513512442)
Articles
- Cherry, C. et al. 2017. Homes as machines: Exploring expert and public imaginaries of low carbon housing futures in the United Kingdom. Energy Research and Social Science 23 , pp.36-45. (10.1016/j.erss.2016.10.011)
- Cherry, C. et al. 2015. Media discourses of low carbon housing: The marginalisation of social and behavioural dimensions within the British broadsheet press. Public Understanding of Science 24 (3), pp.302-310. (10.1177/0963662513512442)
- Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. 2018. Is sharing the solution? Exploring public acceptability of the sharing economy. Journal of Cleaner Production 195 , pp.939-948. (10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.278)
- Cherry, C. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2018. Why is ownership an issue? Exploring factors that determine public acceptance of product-service systems. Sustainability 10 (7) 2289. (10.3390/su10072289)
- Cherry, C. et al. 2018. Public acceptance of resource-efficiency strategies to mitigate climate change. Nature Climate Change 8 , pp.1007-1012. (10.1038/s41558-018-0298-3)
- Cherry, C. et al. 2022. A personas-based approach to deliberating local decarbonisation scenarios: findings and methodological insights. Energy Research and Social Science 87 102455. (10.1016/j.erss.2021.102455)
- Cherry, C. , Verfuerth, C. and Demski, C. 2024. Discourses of climate inaction undermine public support for 1.5 °C lifestyles. Global Environmental Change 87 102875. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102875)
- Demski, C. et al. 2025. Opening-up or closing-down climate deliberations: comparing the Climate Assembly UK and French Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat. Environmental Research Communications 7 (6) 065004. (10.1088/2515-7620/addc3e)
- Groves, C. et al. 2023. Putting visions in their place: Responsible research and innovation for energy system decarbonization. Journal of Responsible Innovation 10 (1) 2149954. (10.1080/23299460.2022.2149954)
- Groves, C. et al. 2021. The future is flexible? Exploring expert visions of energy system decarbonisation. Futures 130 102753. (10.1016/j.futures.2021.102753)
- Groves, C. et al. 2021. A missing link? Capabilities, the ethics of care, and the relational context of energy justice. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities 22 (2), pp.249-269. (10.1080/19452829.2021.1887105)
- Groves, C. et al. 2020. ‘The bills are a brick wall’: narratives of energy vulnerability, poverty and adaptation in South Wales. Energy Research and Social Science 70 101777. (10.1016/j.erss.2020.101777)
- Roberts, E. et al. 2024. Attuning to ambiguous atmospheres: currents of air, discourse and time in a steel town. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 49 (3) e12631. (10.1111/tran.12631)
- Shirani, F. et al. 2021. ‘Who cares about valley people?’ – lived experiences of energy vulnerability in the South Wales valleys. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice 29 (1), pp.103-120. (10.1332/175982720X16074511160827)
- Thomas, G. et al. 2022. “It’s not a very certain future”: Emotion and infrastructure change in an industrial town. Geoforum 132 , pp.81-91. (10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.04.003)
Book sections
- Pidgeon, N. et al. 2021. ‘A little self-sufficient town close to the beach’: local energy system transformation through the lens of place and public things. In: Webb, J. , Wade, F. and Tingey, M. eds. Research Handbook on Energy and Society. Edward Elgar. , pp.299-316.
Monographs
- Capstick, S. et al. 2020. Climate change citizens' assemblies: CAST briefing paper 03.
- Cherry, C. et al. 2021. Citizens' climate assemblies: Understanding public deliberation for climate policy.. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Cherry, C. , Verfuerth, C. and Demski, C. 2024. Social visions for a low-carbon future. Project Report.[Online].Cardiff Univesrity. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-social-visions-for-a-low-carbon-future-report.pdf.
- Groves, C. et al. 2019. Better energy futures: Developing a framework for addressing fuel poverty poverty. Project Report.Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Peake, L. et al., 2018. By popular demand: what people want from a resource efficient economy.
- Shirani, F. et al. 2018. UK smart living demonstrator (better energy futures) – research report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Verfuerth, C. et al. 2024. Catalysts of change: People at the heart of climate transformations. Project Report.[Online].Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-key-messages-from-five-years-of-social-science-research-on-climate-change-report.pdf.
- Zanin, B. et al., 2024. Five principles for good public engagement: How to get people involved in the climate conversation. Other. Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations: CAST. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CAST-the-centre-for-climate-change-and-social-transformations-cast-briefing-29-five-principles-for-good-public-engagement-how-to-get-people-involved-in-the-climate-conversation.pdf.
Thesis
- Cherry, C. 2015. Exploring discourses of decarbonisation: the social construction of low carbon housing. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
Following my PhD exploring the discourses of low-carbon housing (Energy Research and Social Science - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2016.10.011; Public Understanding of Science - https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662513512442), my research career has brought together social discourses of climate change, public engagement and deliberative visioning methods to investigate the role of social transformations in achieving a fair and sustainable future. I am currently exploring public discourses of climate inaction. As researcher Co-I and workpackage lead at the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST), I conducted visioning workshops to investigate public perceptions of radical low-carbon futures.
My most innovative research to date is an interdisciplinary collaboration with partners at University of Leeds, which integrated qualitative public perceptions data with world-leading economic modelling to assess the potential for reducing the UK’s carbon footprint (Nature Climate Change - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0298-3). My most cited work provided the first analysis of public discourses of the sharing economy, demonstrating the contingent nature of public acceptance on the basis of shared social values (Journal of Cleaner Production - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.278).
I have 10+ years of qualitative research experience (designing and conducting interviews, focus groups and workshops; grounded, thematic and discourse analysis; document and media analysis). I develop new methods for engaging publics with the difficult task of imagining a just and sustainable low-carbon future. This culminated in the development of the persona-based approach to participatory visioning processes (Energy Research and Social Science - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102455).
Biography
Research positions
(2020 onwards) Researcher Co-I, The Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST)
(2015-2019) Research Associate, Understanding Risk Research Group
Education
(2015) PhD Environmental Social Science, Cardiff University, UK
Thesis: Exploring Discourses of Decarbonisation: the Social Construction of Low Carbon Housing
(2010) MSc Climate Change: Science and Society, University of East Anglia, UK
(2008) BSc Environmental Science, Queen Mary’s University of London, UK
