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Ed Atkins

Ed Atkins

Senior Teaching Associate, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol
My research is based on the contested character of environmental policy, politics and governance. This currently moves across three interrelated themes: the contentious politics of hydropower, the role of these hydroelectric projects in contemporary sustainable development agendas, and the potential role of alternatives to development in environmental policy.

This research draws from the field of political ecology and work on the post-political to explore how current notions of sustainability and the paradigm of sustainable development can be re-politicised - and filled with a more inclusive meaning.

In exploring this topic, I have grown particularly interested into the concept of 'contested sustainabilities', in which the ambiguity of contemporary notions of sustainability have given rise to divergent - and, at times, conflicting pathways to sustainability.

Having conducted an interdisciplinary PhD, I am particularly interested in engaging in work that sits across traditional academic disciplines - drawing on my educational background in History, International Relations and International Law, and now Human and Political Geography.

Biography
I am currently a Senior Teaching Associate at the School of Geographical Sciences, both leading and supporting on a number of units offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

I first arrived at the University of Bristol in Autumn 2013, to complete an ESRC-funded PhD in Environment, Energy & Resilience. In addition, I hold a BA (Hons) in History and an MA in International Relations and International Law from the University of Kent. As part of an ESRC 1+3 scholarship, I have also completed a supplementary MRes at the University of Bristol - allowing me to start my PhD studies in September 2014.

Climate Change Series

Britain's next election could be a climate change culture war

Jul 27, 2023 08:18 am UTC| Politics

A byelection in a London suburb has placed environmental policy at the centre of political debate in the UK, and could make it a key battleground in the next general election. The Conservative party narrowly held former...

The Archers' electric vehicle row shows why rural areas may oppose chargers – but they also have so much to gain

Apr 12, 2023 12:45 pm UTC| Entertainment

Long-running BBC radio soap opera The Archers might conjure images of an idyllic country life, but its storylines frequently highlight real tensions in British society. The series, set in the fictional village of...

Belo Monte: there is nothing green or sustainable about these mega-dams

Aug 13, 2018 14:33 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

There are few dams in the world that capture the imagination as much as Belo Monte, built on the Big Bend of the Xingu river in the Brazilian Amazon. Its construction has involved an army of 25,000 workers working round...

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Economy

Nigerians throw naira notes around to show love: but it could land you in jail

The legal implication of physically damaging the naira, Nigerias currency, came into focus recently with the prosecution of at least two celebrities by the countrys Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Nigeria has a...

The US is one of the least trade-oriented countries in the world – despite laying the groundwork for today’s globalized system

Given the spate of news about international trade lately, Americans might be surprised to learn that the U.S. isnt very dependent on it. Indeed, looking at trade as a percentage of gross domestic product a metric...

Beyond the spin, beyond the handouts, here’s how to get a handle on what’s really happening on budget night

Three weeks from now, some of us will be presented with a mountain of budget papers, and just about all of us will get to hear about them on radio, TV or news websites on budget night. The quickest way to find out what...

Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility

Ivan Vladislavić is Johannesburgs literary linkman. He tells us, in the first pages of his new book, The Near North, that before cities were lit, first by gaslight and later electricity, people of means paid torchbearers...

Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget

With Jim Chalmerss third budget on May 14, Australians will be looking for some more cost-of-living relief beyond the tax cuts although they have been warned extra measures will be modest. As this weeks consumer price...

Politics

Taiwan is experiencing millions of cyberattacks every day

Taiwan stands out as a beacon of democracy, innovation and resilience in an increasingly autocratic region. But this is under growing threat. In recent years, China has used a variety of grey zone tactics to pressure...

Sudan’s civil war is rooted in its historical favouritism of Arab and Islamic identity

The current civil war in Sudan goes beyond a simple power struggle between two generals. It reflects a deep-rooted crisis within the countrys governing structure thats been present since it gained independence from the...

South Africa’s youth are a generation lost under democracy – study

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa recently painted a rosy picture in which the countrys youth democracys children had enormous opportunities for advancement, all thanks to successive post-apartheid governments led...

Sadiq Khan on track for third term as London mayor – but nearly half of Londoners dissatisfied with performance

Polls have consistently shown that the incumbent mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, appears to be on track to win a third term in office at the upcoming mayoral elections on May 2. One poll we commissioned as part of our...

The politics stopping the UK from opening a youth mobility scheme with Europe

Earlier this week, it seemed possible that young people in the UK might soon be able to travel freely to work and live in Europe again. The European Commission laid out proposals to open mobility to millions of 18- to...

Science

IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects

About a trillion tiny particles called neutrinos pass through you every second. Created during the Big Bang, these relic neutrinos exist throughout the entire universe, but they cant harm you. In fact, only one of them is...

The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup

A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this...

Dark matter: our new experiment aims to turn the ghostly substance into actual light

A ghost is haunting our universe. This has been known in astronomy and cosmology for decades. Observations suggest that about 85% of all the matter in the universe is mysterious and invisible. These two qualities are...

A Nasa rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilised life on Mars

While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, Nasas Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to...

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

A piece of space junk recently crashed through the roof and floor of a mans home in Florida. Nasa later confirmed that the object had come from unwanted hardware released from the international space station. The 700g,...

Technology

Crypto Market Selloff: BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, SHIB Prices Plummet, Crash Fears Grow

The cryptocurrency market shows new symptoms of weakness as bulls and bears battle for supremacy. Investors have recently lost about $150 billion, with the cryptocurrency market valuation falling from $2.42 trillion to...

BYD Shark Debuts in Mexico, Rivals Tesla Cybertruck and Ford F-150 Lightning

This month, the streets of Mexico will showcase the BYD Sharks debut, an advanced hybrid electric pickup set to rival the Tesla Cybertruck and highlight BYDs cutting-edge hybrid technology. BYD Shark: A New Hybrid...

South Korea Secures Competitive Edge With US Tax Credit Extension on EVs

South Korea has positively received the U.S. extension of tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs) incorporating Chinese graphite. This critical decision supports Seouls strategy to dominate the American EV market. This...

SHIB Exec Connects Shiba Inu to Bitcoin; Open Interest Falls 7%

SHIBs marketing officer, Lucie, emphasized similarities between Shiba Inu and Bitcoin, highlighting both projects foundational anonymity and community-driven development. Meanwhile, a 7% drop in open interest raises...
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