![Elspeth Spence](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/3059?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Elspeth Spence
Research Associate
- SpenceE@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 70837
- Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
Overview
Research summary
Research theme: Social and Environmental
My main area of research is public perceptions of climate risks. I am currently working on a project aimed at exploring how the public perceive negative emissions technologies, with a focus on enhanced rock weathering. Prior to this, for my PhD I worked on an interdisciplinary project to assess perceptions of the emerging risk of ocean acidification.
Teaching summary
I currently supervise final year undergraduate research projects. During my PhD I was a tutor for first year undergraduates and was responsible for running tutorials aimed at developing report writing and statistical skills as well as marking assignments.
Publication
2024
- Contzen, N. et al. 2024. Public opinion about solar radiation management: A cross-cultural study in 20 countries around the world. Climatic Change 177(4), article number: 65. (10.1007/s10584-024-03708-3)
2022
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2022. Deliberating enhanced weathering: public frames, iconic ecosystems, and the governance of carbon removal at scale. Public Understanding of Science 31(8), pp. 960-977. (10.1177/0963662522111219)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N. and Spence, E. 2022. But they told us it was safe! Carbon dioxide removal, fracking, and ripple effects in risk perceptions. Risk Analysis 42(7), pp. 1472-1487. (10.1111/risa.13717)
2021
- Spence, E., Cox, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2021. Exploring cross-national public support for the use of enhanced weathering as a land-based carbon dioxide removal strategy. Climatic Change 165, article number: 23. (10.1007/s10584-021-03050-y)
- Cox, E., Boettcher, M., Spence, E. and Bellamy, R. 2021. Casting a wider net on ocean NETs. Frontiers in Climate 3, article number: 576294. (10.3389/fclim.2021.576294)
2020
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Public perceptions of carbon dioxide removal in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nature Climate Change 10, pp. 744-749. (10.1038/s41558-020-0823-z)
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Incumbency, trust and the Monsanto effect: stakeholder discourses on greenhouse gas removal. Environmental Values 29(2), pp. 197-220. (10.3197/096327119X15678473650947)
2018
- Spence, E., Pidgeon, N. and Pearson, P. 2018. UK public perceptions of ocean acidification - the importance of place and environmental identity. Marine Policy 97, pp. 287-293. (10.1016/j.marpol.2018.04.006)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N., Spence, E. and Thomas, G. 2018. Blurred lines: the ethics and policy of Greenhouse Gas Removal at scale. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6, article number: 38. (10.3389/fenvs.2018.00038)
2017
- Spence, E. M. 2017. Public risk perceptions of ocean acidification. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Pidgeon, N. and Spence, E. 2017. Perceptions of enhanced weathering as a biological negative emissions option. Biology Letters 13(4), article number: 20170024. (10.1098/rsbl.2017.0024)
2016
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F., Corner, A. J., Spence, E. M. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 6, pp. 763-767. (10.1038/nclimate3005)
Articles
- Contzen, N. et al. 2024. Public opinion about solar radiation management: A cross-cultural study in 20 countries around the world. Climatic Change 177(4), article number: 65. (10.1007/s10584-024-03708-3)
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2022. Deliberating enhanced weathering: public frames, iconic ecosystems, and the governance of carbon removal at scale. Public Understanding of Science 31(8), pp. 960-977. (10.1177/0963662522111219)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N. and Spence, E. 2022. But they told us it was safe! Carbon dioxide removal, fracking, and ripple effects in risk perceptions. Risk Analysis 42(7), pp. 1472-1487. (10.1111/risa.13717)
- Spence, E., Cox, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2021. Exploring cross-national public support for the use of enhanced weathering as a land-based carbon dioxide removal strategy. Climatic Change 165, article number: 23. (10.1007/s10584-021-03050-y)
- Cox, E., Boettcher, M., Spence, E. and Bellamy, R. 2021. Casting a wider net on ocean NETs. Frontiers in Climate 3, article number: 576294. (10.3389/fclim.2021.576294)
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Public perceptions of carbon dioxide removal in the United States and the United Kingdom. Nature Climate Change 10, pp. 744-749. (10.1038/s41558-020-0823-z)
- Cox, E., Spence, E. and Pidgeon, N. 2020. Incumbency, trust and the Monsanto effect: stakeholder discourses on greenhouse gas removal. Environmental Values 29(2), pp. 197-220. (10.3197/096327119X15678473650947)
- Spence, E., Pidgeon, N. and Pearson, P. 2018. UK public perceptions of ocean acidification - the importance of place and environmental identity. Marine Policy 97, pp. 287-293. (10.1016/j.marpol.2018.04.006)
- Cox, E., Pidgeon, N., Spence, E. and Thomas, G. 2018. Blurred lines: the ethics and policy of Greenhouse Gas Removal at scale. Frontiers in Environmental Science 6, article number: 38. (10.3389/fenvs.2018.00038)
- Pidgeon, N. and Spence, E. 2017. Perceptions of enhanced weathering as a biological negative emissions option. Biology Letters 13(4), article number: 20170024. (10.1098/rsbl.2017.0024)
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F., Corner, A. J., Spence, E. M. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 6, pp. 763-767. (10.1038/nclimate3005)
Thesis
- Spence, E. M. 2017. Public risk perceptions of ocean acidification. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Research topics and related papers
Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation
Working as part of the Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation (LC3M) with Professor Nick Pidgeon, our current project will examine how people understand negative emission technologies in at least the UK and USA. This international project is led by the University of Sheffield with collaborators including Southampton, California (Riverside), Illinois, the Open University and the South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme with a key focus on enhanced weathering. This entails crushing minerals that naturally absorb carbon dioxide and spreading them on fields, therefore speeding up and enhancing the natural process of weathering. Our part of the project will help develop effective public communications and raise awareness and understanding of NETs more generally as well as on enhanced weathering. As NETs become more of a reality as a way to reduce carbon dioxide levels, it is crucial that we understand public perceptions of these technologies because the public are likely to contribute to future decisions around them.
Public perceptions of ocean acidification
My interdisciplinary PhD research was jointly supervised by Professor Nick Pidgeon in the School of Psychology and Professor Paul Pearson in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. To explore how the public perceived ocean acidification I used a mental models approach that adopts mixed methods. This approach is used to compare and examine public and expert perceptions of the risk issue to help inform risk communication. This emerging risk issue is novel to the general public however it has potentially serious implications for marine ecosystems, coastal populations and food webs. Ocean acidification is a separate risk issue from climate change though is also caused by CO2 emissions, understanding public perceptions of ocean acidification is important to develop communications and raise awareness of this risk.
There were three phases to this research project. Firstly an expert model was developed based on a literature review and expert interview data (N=7). It explores the main themes that became evident including the causes, impacts and responses to ocean acidification and highlighted areas of certainty and uncertainty. Next, interviews with members of the public (N=20) helped to establish their mental model of ocean acidification allowing comparison to the expert model. Completion of this phase made it clear where differences lie between the models. In the last phase a UK survey (N=954) based on the previous data helped establish whether the conceptualisations found in the interview phase applied more broadly. There was low awareness of this risk with acid rain, chemical waste and pollution frequently believed to be the main cause of OA. However, many respondents did recognise that it would impact on numerous organisms and knock-on to marine ecosystems. Additionally, many perceived OA as a highly negative issue despite their unfamiliarity with this risk issue. Public response to ocean acidification may mean that there would be greater support for policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Funding
The current enhanced weathering research is part of a wider project (LC3M) funded by a Research Centre award from the Leverhulme Trust.
My PhD was funded by the President's Scholarship.
Research group
Social and Environmental Psychology
Understanding Risk Group
Research collaborators
Prof. Nick Pidgeon (School of Psychology)
Dr Emily Cox (School of Psychology)
Prof. Paul Pearson (School of Earth and Environmental Sciences)
Teaching
I supervise final year undergraduate research projects around public understanding of unfamiliar risk issues such as ocean acidification, as well as perceptions of marine climate change impacts, for example.
Biography
Undergraduate education
2006 – 2010: MA Psychology (Hons), University of Aberdeen
Postgraduate education
2013 – 2017: PhD Psychology, Cardiff University. Thesis titled 'Public risk perceptions of ocean acidification’.
2011 – 2012: MRes in Psychology, University of Aberdeen. Thesis titled 'Trust in information used to encourage pro-environmental intentions from the public’.