CSSN is an international network of social science scholars focused on understanding the cultural and institutional dynamics of the political conflict over climate change.

ABOUT CSSN

The Latest

Fossil capital, ‘unquantifiable risk’ and neoliberal nationalizations: The case of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Canada
Latest
Fossil capital, ‘unquantifiable risk’ and neoliberal nationalizations: The case of the Trans Mountain Pipeline in Canada
CSSN Scholar Jeremy Walker and Kyla Tienhaara dig into why neoliberal and 'free market' proponents are calling for state protection and ownership of fossil fuel infrastructure.
The Big Oil Instagram Influencers Are Here
Latest
The Big Oil Instagram Influencers Are Here
"Oil companies 'have gone digital, and they’ve gone more subtle, but there’s no denying the fact that these messages are not simple product advertising'" - Geoffrey Supran, CSSN Director of Accountability Communications, speaking with Earther.
Manufacturing ignorance: think tanks, climate change and the animal-based diet
Latest
Manufacturing ignorance: think tanks, climate change and the animal-based diet
New peer-reviewed research—by CSSN Scholars Núria Almiron and Jose A. Moreno, along with Miquel Rodrigo-Alsina—finds that European think tanks have contributed to public ignorance on how dietary choices impact climate.
Carbon Removal as Carbon Revival? Bioenergy, Negative Emissions, and the Politics of Alternative Energy Futures
Latest
Carbon Removal as Carbon Revival? Bioenergy, Negative Emissions, and the Politics of Alternative Energy Futures
"It would be a missed opportunity to pursue carbon removal without explicit societal deliberation about the range of alternative energy futures that are possible in a post-fossil fuel era," write James Palmer and CSSN Scholar Wim Carton in frontiers in climate.
Letter to Science: The risks of solar geoengineering research
Latest
Letter to Science : The risks of solar geoengineering research
CSSN Scholars Jennie C Stephens, Prakash Kashwan, Duncan McLaren, and Kevin Surprise warn that unilateral solar geoengineering research—undertaken without public participation or global governance—risks undermining progress on energy system transformation.
Navigating Potential Hype and Opportunity in Governing Marine Carbon Removal
Latest
Navigating Potential Hype and Opportunity in Governing Marine Carbon Removal
CSSN Scholar Duncan McLaren is co-author on a new academic article discussing challenges in responsibly developing marine carbon removal.
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CSSN in Action

The Latest Research
 The latest releases of research from CSSN Scholars around the world, advancing knowledge about climate conflicts and organizations obstructing action on climate change.
Our Working Groups
 CSSN working groups bring together scholars with shared interests, for discussion and collaborative research. The working groups will provide input into the CSSN Research Agenda. The groups are self-organizing and directing, and we hope to provide seed funding.
Our Projects
 CSSN scholars have several projects underway that evaluate the institutional and cultural dynamics of climate-related political conflicts.

Welcome to CSSN

CSSN Seeks to:

  • Coordinate, conduct, and support peer-reviewed research into the institutional and cultural dynamics of political conflicts around climate change,
  • Assist scholars to communicate the results of this research to policymakers, the public, and the wider climate change community, and
  • Conduct educational activities regarding the results of the research to inform the political, legal, and media communities.

Jennie C. Stephens

Featured Scholar: Jennie C. Stephens

Jennie C. Stephens is Director of Northeastern University’s School of Public Policy & Urban Affairs and Dean’s Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy. She is an internationally-recognized expert on renewable transformation, energy democracy, climate justice, and gender in energy innovation. Trained at Harvard and Caltech, she is a transdisciplinary academic with two decades of experience linking environmental science and technology with policy and social change. Her new book “Diversifying Power: Why We Need Antiracist, Feminist Leadership on Climate and Energy” (Island Press, 2020) celebrates leaders who are tackling economic, health, housing and transit disparities by linking with climate and energy transformation.

Learn more about Jennie C. Stephens.

Featured Research

Solar Geoengineering Research in the United States: Key Critical Questions

In a new CSSN Position Paper, CSSN Scholars Prakash Kashwan, Duncan McLaren, Jennie Stephens, and Kevin Surprise outline three areas of key questions to ask about any effort to advance solar geoengineering research using public funds.

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