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An Ecological Habitus on the oilfield? Environmental concerns of oilsands workers and their lifestyle social practices.

  • Author / Creator
    Evans, Amanda C
  • In this case study research I interviewed direct employees of oilsands mines in Northern Alberta about their environmental concerns, how their concerns translate into their day-to-day lives, how they think about climate change, green energy technologies, and a world beyond oil use. I use the concept of ecological habitus to examine the environmental dispositions of people working in oilsands mines. This study furthers our understanding of the concept of ecological habitus by examining the ecological habitus of those who are not typically thought of as being pro-environment in their attitudes or actions. It also recasts the conversation about pro-environmental behaviours away from demographic indicators and into the realm of how we understand the relationship between dominant and new ways of behaving as part of social change. While this group indicates concern for the environmental issues and climate change there was little belief that climate change would affect them where they live. While many expressed desire to move towards green energy technologies there was distrust in these technologies and whether or not decarbonisation could be achieved in an economy and a society so deeply dependent on petroleum.

  • Subjects / Keywords
  • Graduation date
    Fall 2018
  • Type of Item
    Thesis
  • Degree
    Master of Arts
  • DOI
    https://doi.org/10.7939/R3WD3QH51
  • License
    Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.