Re-evaluating the Home as a Core Institution in Climate Action

The Home & Climate Change Book Launch and Seminar has brought together key partners, collaborators, and researchers involved in the scholarly discourse and debate on the intrinsic relationship between our homes, as a key social, cultural, and economic institution, and the forces and impact of Climate Change as the most drastic environmental crisis of our time.

The interdisciplinary programme reflects on the collaboration with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), the Home Renaissance Foundation (HRF) and The University of York as host.

The event included a fantastic lineup of speakers, such as:

• Professor Duncan Petrie, Dean, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of York
• Sir Bryan Sanderson, CBE and HRF Chairman; Honorary Doctor, University of York 
• Professor Rosa Lastra, Sir John Lubbock Chair in Banking Law at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London
• Professor Nicholas Pleace, Associate Dean of Research, School of Business & Society, University of York. 
• Professor Gamal Abdelmonem, Chair of Architecture & Founding Director of Research, York School of Architecture
• Professor María José Monferrer Freire, Associate Professor, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid.
• Professor Jigna Desai, Director of the Centre for Heritage Studies, CEPT Foundation, CEPT University, India. 
• Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh, Director of Product Innovation Centre, Nottingham Trent University. 

The book  is also available through Routledge Home and Climate Change: Transforming Societies in the Face of Climate 

Seminar Report:

1. Executive Summary

The Home and Climate Change seminar highlighted a crucial paradigm shift in environmental action: moving towards a Home-Centred Approach to Climate Action. While traditional climate strategies heavily prioritize large-scale industry, technological interventions, and macroeconomic mandates, this event brought together an interdisciplinary panel—spanning architecture, sociology, law, economics, and engineering—to establish that meaningful, long-term climate resilience must begin within the domestic sphere.

The central theme of One Planet, One Home: How to Reverse the Clock of Climate Change, aligned with the book publication, Home and Climate Change (2026), argues that the home is not merely a physical consumer of energy, but a foundational social, legal, and cultural institution that shapes human behaviour, nurtures stewardship, and directly impacts planetary health.

2. Synthesized Core Themes

A. The Moral, Human, and Social Dimension of Home
Redefining the Home Beyond Materialism: Sir Bryan Sanderson emphasized that a home’s primary value lies in providing security, safety, unconditional acceptance, and moral grounding—rather than acting as a financial asset or luxury space.

Housing vs Home and De-commodification: Prof. Nicholas Pleace highlighted the historical shift that commodified housing under rentier capitalism. Housing must be treated as a fundamental human right rather than a market product, recognizing that emotional support, community networks, and social stability are necessary conditions for engaging citizens in climate action.

B. Behavioral, Technical, and Architectural Adaptation
Building Performance and Human Behaviour: Prof. Amin Al-Habaibeh demonstrated through sensor and thermal imaging research that retrofitting heritage and existing buildings with insulation is necessary but insufficient on its own. Human habits (such as opening windows during winter for air quality or cooking during peak hours) can negate high-performance thermal insulation.

C. Demographic Shifts, Technology, and Rural Futures
Smart Rural Homes and Knowledge Hubs: Prof. María José Monferrer Freire identified megatrends in Europe’s aging and shrinking population. To alleviate urban housing market strains and eliminate emissions from long commutes, policy must incentivize tech/knowledge hubs in rural areas while adapting rural homes with smart technologies for independent senior living.

Energy-Technology Conundrum: Expanding digital tools and AI infrastructures require vast energy and water resources, threatening green transition targets unless energy infrastructure is optimized.

D. Governance, Legal Frameworks, and Stewardship
Multi-Layered Governance and Positive Incentives: Prof. Rosa Lastra argued that international treaties alone (e.g., the Paris Agreement) are inadequate without a multi-level governance framework spanning from the individual and local levels up to international bodies. Regulation should address market externalities while establishing positive incentive systems to guide behaviour.

Stewardship Over Ownership: Grounded in Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ and philosophical perspectives on the family, Prof. Lastra emphasized that humanity must view itself as stewards rather than owners of nature, preserving the planet for future generations.

3. Unified Policy Recommendations

The recommendations provided by the speakers (attributed individually) offer actionable guidance for governments, regional bodies, and urban planners:

Adopt Multi-Level Climate Governance & Positive Incentives (Prof. Rosa Lastra)
Action: Move beyond top-down international treaties by creating multi-layered regulatory frameworks (local, national, regional, international).

Mechanism: Focus on positive behavioural incentive structures rather than punitive measures alone to foster sustainable domestic habits across generations.

Establish Rural “Knowledge Hubs” and Smart Rural Housing (Prof. María José Monferrer Freire)

Action: Enact economic policies and tax incentives for corporations to locate data centres and
regional offices in rural regions.

Align Corporate Innovation Targets with Public Benefit

Action: Increase public R&D investment to meet national innovation targets and form strategic public-private partnerships.

Mechanism: Ensure that technological innovations (including energy-heavy AI and green technologies) deliver clean energy returns to local communities rather than solely serving corporate profit margins.

Mechanism: Mitigate urban gentrification and housing crises while retrofitting rural dwellings into “smart rural homes” equipped for remote elder care, avoiding unnecessary hospital transfers and urban sprawl.

Incentivize Dual-Track Retrofitting & Behavioral Education (Prof. Amin Al-Habaibeh)

Action: Subsidize thermal insulation and retrofits for legacy/heritage housing stock.

Mechanism: Combine physical retrofits with public education campaigns on home energy management, smart ventilation, off-peak energy usage, and energy-efficient appliances (e.g., microwaves/air fryers).

De-commodify Housing and Safeguard Rights (Prof. Nicholas Pleace)
Action: Re-evaluate housing policies to prioritize housing as a fundamental human right and social necessity over rentier market speculation.

Mechanism: Re-invest in secure, state-backed social housing to ensure community stability, without which domestic climate initiatives cannot take root.

Mechanism: Mitigate urban gentrification and housing crises

4. Agenda for Continued Study & Research

To further advance the Home-Centred Approach to Climate Action, future scholarly research should prioritize:

Occupant Behaviour & Thermal Efficiency Mechanics (Prof. Amin Al-Habaibeh)

Quantifying the exact performance gaps between engineered thermal insulation models and real-world occupant habits (ventilation practices, peak-hour energy use) across diverse demographic groups.

Rural Infrastructure and AI Energy Value Chains (Prof. María José Monferrer Freire)

Investigating the ecological footprint of rural tech infrastructure (data centres, battery manufacturing) and developing sustainable micro-grid or small-scale nuclear solutions to balance AI digital resource demands.

Sociological Impacts of Housing Financialization on Environmental Action (Prof. Nicholas Pleace)

Examining how housing instability, gentrification, and rentier capitalism hinder long-term domestic sustainability investments among vulnerable populations.

Intersectional Legal Studies on Global-to-Local Environmental Governance (Prof. Rosa Lastra)

Developing legal models that harmonize international commitments with domestic law and family-centred environmental stewardship.

Seminar Summary Transcription