Books in Conversation: hosted by Priestley's Just Transitions theme
What happens when we place lived experience, community inclusion, and radical humility at the centre of climate transitions? These questions helped to shape our recent ‘Books in Conversation’ event.
Hosted by the Priestley Centre’s Just Transitions theme in the School of Earth and Environment, Professor Lucie Middlemiss and Dr. Peter Sutoris came together for a panel led by Professor Vera Trappmann, to discuss their recently released books.
[Just Climate Futures: Integrating Social Inclusion Into the Net Zero Transition by Carolyn Snell, Lucie Middlemiss]
[Reimagining Development, Bold Directions Towards a Thriving World by Peter Sutoris, Uma Pradhan]
The Just Transitions theme aims to bring academics from across the university together to address the intertwined challenges of climate and social justice.
Written by Priestley Climate Scholar Molly Hammond
Introducing the authors
Dr. Peter Sutoris: Associate Professor in Climate and Development in the School of Earth and Environment. His work bridges anthropology with education, development studies and environmental studies. Reimagining Development (Hurst/Oxford University Press, 2025; with Uma Pradhan) is Dr. Sutoris’ third book and rethinks development as a political project towards equity.
Prof. Lucie Middlemiss Professor of Environment and Society Development in the School of Earth, Environment and Sustainability. She is co-lead of the Priestley Just Transitions theme, as well as co-leader of the Leeds Relational Energy Group. Her research on energy poverty synthesises qualitative insights into the lived experience with critical policy analysis. Just Climate Futures (Bristol University Press, 2026; with Carolyn Snell) is Prof. Middlemiss’ most recent book and addresses the multitude of ways families and communities are, or could be, impacted by transition to net zero alongside providing a practical roadmap towards a truly just transition.
Prof. Vera Trappmann: Chair of the event and one of the co-leads of the Just Transitions theme. Prof. Trappmann’s expertise in climate change and work, offered an additional layer of insight into the discussion. Her research explores just transitions, decarbonization, net zero, and climate adaptation, with a particular focus on trade unions and their role around environmental sustainability, climate change and degrowth and how workers experience the transitions. She highlighted how both books to be discussed at the event use diverse storytelling approaches to make the subjects relatable.
A key similarity across both books that Prof. Trappmann identified was the emphasis on the role of communities. Prof. Middlemiss argues that all policies need to be people-centred, considering lived experiences and using these as a starting point before going on to consider policies. She believes net zero should address something positive we hope to achieve in this context, like quality-of-life improvements, and a successful net zero policy would link up these positive fields, coming to the crux of the problem; how we want to live in the future. This strongly links to Dr. Sutoris’ Reimagining Development, which asks who is defining what a “good life” is? And what are we losing? A Westernised worldview of development may not necessarily be helping people achieve a “good life”. He argues there are multiple ways communities can coexist, described in many worlds. Dr. Sutoris takes stocks of these many worlds to imagine a radically different future.
Who is at risk of being left behind by net zero policy?
The people most at risk of being left behind by net zero policy are those already facing financial or structural disadvantages. Research funded by the Nuffield Foundation, undertaken by a collaboration between the University of Leeds, the University of York and Trinity College Dublin, shows that the poorest 40% of households are particularly vulnerable to falling into what they describe as “transition poverty.” In the context of the current cost‑of‑living crisis and the government’s levelling-up agenda, individuals with limited spending power, people living in social or rented housing, and communities with fragile local economies all face significant barriers to participating in the net zero transition. For those who already have fewer opportunities due to their circumstances, net zero risks increasing social exclusion and deepening existing inequalities.
Prof. Middlemiss explores this idea in her book as well as through case studies from communities in Leeds, which can be found published separately in individual articles. Within Just Climate Futures she argues that the only climate-positive future is a just one. One striking aspect of net zero policy she says, is just how fundamentally transformative its ambitions are: changing how we travel, work, consume and live. Prof. Middlemiss notes that whilst this vision presents a picture of more localised and efficient lives, it often overlooks the real constraints faced by disadvantaged communities. Technologically, economically and socially, the current approach to net zero is highly optimistic.
One of the aims often attached to net zero policy, solving fuel poverty, illustrates the challenges behind this transition. Although the shift to low carbon systems holds the promise of more affordable, stable energy in the long term, for many households the immediate reality feels very different. For people already struggling with high bills, insecure housing, or limited financial flexibility, proposals such as heat pumps, solar panels or new dietary expectations can seem unrealistic or entirely out of reach. Without careful policy design, the transition risks adding pressure to households already at their limits. In some cases, efforts to decarbonise could even deepen existing vulnerabilities rather than alleviate them, with reproductive challenges. This tension highlights how the aspiration of solving fuel poverty through net zero is far easier said than done, and the importance of a more socially grounded approach.
Yet both books also offer a sense of hopefulness and possibility. They invite us to consider the transformative potential of a more joined up approach and a chance to build better lives. Prof. Middlemiss’ book explores what a socially inclusive net zero approach would look like. This more socially informed vision of the future addresses our ability to participate in friendships, relationships and argues their importance for a just climate future. The question “What does thriving look like?” becomes central to this reimagining. It is also a core theme in Dr Sutoris’ Reimagining Development, which challenges dominant narratives and argues for a bottom‑up perspective on climate and development futures. Together, these books push us to rethink not only the technical pathway to net zero, but the kind of society we want to build in the process.
Conclusions
The event drew an engaged audience and sparked a thoughtful, wide-ranging discussion, which highlighted shared themes: a critique of mainstream transition models, an examination of their limitations and a call for more socially grounded, community-centred futures.
If you have an upcoming publication and would like to share your work at a future Books in Conversation event, the Priestley Centre welcomes proposals and looks forward to continuing these inspiring conversations with our community. Please email: [email protected]
Q&A (click on the questions to see the answers)
What can we do with your two books as a community?
One of Just Climate Futures objectives was to develop policies to reduce exclusion under net zero. The book doesn’t just analyse problems; it equips readers with practical tools. It includes a ‘recipe’ for policy changes that is designed to be used, policymakers can draw on it to structure more inclusive approaches and researchers or students can use it as a framework for evaluating whether proposed climate actions genuinely support those most at risk. In this sense, the book can help anyone begin to turn principles of climate justice into actionable, grounded decisions.
Meanwhile, Reimagining Development invites a different kind of engagement. Rather than offering a checklist for a perfect future, it encourages readers to interrogate their own assumptions about progress, development, and what kind of future we would hope to live in. Readers can use the book as a starting point for reflection. It is a resource for anyone wanting to step back and ask deeper questions: What are we striving for? Whose voices shape our vision of the future? And what alternative pathways become visible when we centre lived experience over abstract economic growth?
What is radical humility and what does it look like?
Dr. Sutoris describes the idea of radical humility in his book without prescribing it, rather emphasising the importance in recognising the limitations of dominant paradigms. He draws together a couple of different threads to serve as ingredients for what makes up radical humility.
Firstly, the concept of deep time, an idea that is getting increasing attention in philosophy and ethics. Deep time calls for re-shifting our temporal frame of reference, zooming out of everyday life and routine to think about the bigger picture, including periods that are challenging to grasp, such as the world before we are born or after we die.
Another thread is agnostic politics — how do we learn to disagree? We need to navigate our differences to act differently, as action (a departure from the norm) requires disagreement.
Embracing these ideas together, alongside concepts like collective wisdom and alternative education models, form ingredients for radical humility. As for actions people can take, Dr. Sutoris intentionally avoids being prescriptive. His work aims to provoke readers to develop their own actions — which may feel disorienting, but perhaps that is the necessary paradigm shift.
What does a “good life” look like?
The question of what makes up a good life is often discussed personally but rarely translated into policy. Prof. Middlemiss’ sociological perspective in Just Climate Futures invites deeper reflection beyond standard measures such as the Bristol Social Exclusion Matrix (B‑SEM).
She suggests exploring categories of participation — social, economic, political — as indicators of a good life. Whether people can take part in the roles they value, maintain relationships, or simply have fun often emerged in empirical work. Many concerns around net zero related to participation, such as, “How can I visit my mum in another city without a car?”
A society that enables people to live good lives is one where these forms of participation are possible.
How can we authentically ensure lived experiences of the most marginalised feature in policy?
Dr. Sutoris explores how political structures influence whose voices are heard. “Strongman” politics can project stability but often weaken democratic systems and reduce space for dissent—especially for marginalised groups.
Drawing on Gandhi’s economic thought, he highlights the value of decentralised, community‑rooted decision making. This shifts political influence closer to everyday life and strengthens local agency.
Prof. Middlemiss argues that current climate policy assumes too much and listens too little. Many policies are not socially informed, making them prone to producing inequality. She agrees with fairness criticisms but insists the solution is not abandoning climate action, but designing net‑zero policy around real social conditions.
Authentic inclusion requires:
1) political processes that empower communities, and
2) climate policy built on data, dialogue, and long‑term engagement with at‑risk groups.
How is the process of producing a book different from academic papers?
Dr. Sutoris appreciates the freedom of writing a book. Reimagining Development is peer reviewed yet accessible to general readers. Books allow ideas to unfold more expansively than papers, which must be tightly structured and heavily referenced.
Prof. Middlemiss notes that expectations vary by discipline. In sociology, books are central contributions. She reflects on the collaborative experience of writing Just Climate Futures with Prof. Carolyn Snell — describing it as a “beautiful collaborative process.”