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 Us

The Latest

Latest
Public opinion about climate policies: A review and call for more studies of what people want
Through an article published in PLOS Climate, CSSN Scholar Malcolm Fairbrother reviews what we know about public attitudes towards climate policies and highlights the people's desire for research on alternatives to carbon taxes.
Latest
Lessons from Australia show CCUS is about capturing public opinion and public finances, not carbon
Looking at Australia's failed Gorgon project, CSSN Scholar Jeremy Walker and Dr. Kyla Tienhaara highlight how CCUS is not a transition toward a "net-zero" future for Canada but rather a cover-up for the fossil fuel industry.
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Latest
Economic framing dominates climate policy reporting: a fifty-state analysis
In analyzing coverage of renewable portfolio standards in 50 U.S. states, a study by Ann Garth and Timmons Roberts finds that the vast majority of coverage used an economic frame to cover the policies.
Latest
Dead White men vs. Greta Thunberg: Nationalism, Misogyny, and Climate Change Denial in Swedish far-right Digital Media
By analyzing the reactions of four Swedish far-right digital news sites towards Greta Thunberg from 2018 to 2019, CSSN Scholars Kjell Vowles and Martin Hultman explore the overlap between anti-environmentalism and anti-feminism.
Latest
CSSN Position Paper: Net Zero, Carbon Removal and the Limitations of Carbon Offsetting
A position paper from CSSN's Working Group on Net Zero provides an overview of key concepts and questions regarding net zero emissions targets and the proposed role of carbon offsets to help meet them.
Latest
Disrupting to decarbonise socio-energy systems: The ‘carbon transformation axes’ framework
CSSN Scholar Marco Grasso highlights the urgency for the decarbonization of socio-energy systems (SEnS) necessary to tackle the climate crisis through an analysis using the “carbon transformation axes framework.”
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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.

Featured Scholar: Orla Kelly

 

Dr Orla Kelly is an Assistant Professor in Social Policy at the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice, University College Dublin. She has a PhD in environmental sociology and an LLM in International Human Rights Law. Her research areas include sustainable human wellbeing, eco-social policies, education, gender inequality, and reduced working time. She leads an international consortium of academics, supported by the Worldwide Universities Network, working at the intersection of education and the climate crisis. In collaboration with Prof J. Schor, Dr Kelly also leads research investigating the socio-ecological implications of reduced worktime in Ireland.

Dr Orla Kelly’s Website.

Learn more about Orla Kelly.

 

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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