Decarbonising homes and the in-between: Intersections of visible and latent climate-wise housing and mobility

Effective decarbonisation must be socially equitable and attentive to the capacities of households to adopt and apply new social practices at home and in mobility spaces in-between. Understanding attitudinal landscapes and the dynamics of social recognition and interaction surrounding decarbonisation helps advance technical solutions and reduce consumption. This paper approaches decarbonisation as a "social dramaturgy" of climate-friendly practices and conceptualises the modalities and performances of climate action in public and private spaces, following Erving Goffman's notions of "front- and backstages". Analysing a geocoded Finnish survey from 2022 (n = 1446), we compare visible technological solutions with more latent, self-reported energy- and resource-saving practices. By examining how attitudes toward climate change shape beliefs in various solutions, we find that backstage decarbonisation practices align more with climate change concerns, while frontstage practices diffuse more easily. This novel sociospatial approach contributes to debates on the legitimacy of climate action and efforts to curb segregation concurrently.

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Publication Details

Journal
AMBIO
Published
2026-01-09
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02332-4
Primary Topic
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Decarbonising homes and the in-between: Intersections of visible and latent climate-wise housing and mobility

Uula Saastamoinen, Joni Tuomas Vainikka
AMBIO
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
article

Decarbonising homes and the in-between: Intersections of visible and latent climate-wise housing and mobility

Uula Saastamoinen, Joni Tuomas Vainikka
article en

Abstract

Effective decarbonisation must be socially equitable and attentive to the capacities of households to adopt and apply new social practices at home and in mobility spaces in-between. Understanding attitudinal landscapes and the dynamics of social recognition and interaction surrounding decarbonisation helps advance technical solutions and reduce consumption. This paper approaches decarbonisation as a "social dramaturgy" of climate-friendly practices and conceptualises the modalities and performances of climate action in public and private spaces, following Erving Goffman's notions of "front- and backstages". Analysing a geocoded Finnish survey from 2022 (n = 1446), we compare visible technological solutions with more latent, self-reported energy- and resource-saving practices. By examining how attitudes toward climate change shape beliefs in various solutions, we find that backstage decarbonisation practices align more with climate change concerns, while frontstage practices diffuse more easily. This novel sociospatial approach contributes to debates on the legitimacy of climate action and efforts to curb segregation concurrently.

AMBIO
University of Helsinki (FI), Finnish Environment Institute (FI)
Strategic Research Council
Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 95%
Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
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