“Might give some hope for the future”: Understanding young adults' support for offshore wind in coastal Australia

Community attitudes towards offshore wind development have received substantial attention in policy and academic research, however young people's perspectives are under-represented in both, and in public consultation processes. This study focuses on young adults' perspectives on the declaration of a proposed offshore wind zone in the Illawarra region, 60 km south of Sydney, Australia. Interviews with 95 participants aged 18–30 showed a high rate of support for offshore wind, alongside strong place attachment. Participants also expressed significant climate change concern and identified localised climate change impacts on the Illawarra coastline. For this cohort, place attachment did not result in project opposition. Instead, they reframed support for offshore wind development as place-protective behaviour. The young adult interviewees also brought distant places and future time into the ambit of their care and concern. They expressed a relational and interconnected sense of place, and a sense of responsibility to take local action that benefits the Illawarra, while also promoting distributive and intergenerational justice. We argue that young adults need to be included more equitably in academic research and community consultation on renewable energy transitions, and that their inclusion has significant potential to shift the direction and priorities of public debate on this complex issue.