Time and sustainability: Exploring the cases of refrigeration and artificial lighting

This thesis investigates tensions between the short-term, everyday activities of humans and the long-term environmental future of the Earth. It examines these time tensions through two case studies of technology use; namely refrigeration with particular reference to its use for the storage and transport of food and artificial lighting. The thesis builds on and develops the concept of the commodification of time as a way of connecting the temporal dimensions of the use of artificial light and refrigeration with their environmental impacts. By exploring the time dimensions of sustainability, this thesis highlights the need for a new approach to sustainability policy.