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
Coal, solar and EVs: A pitfall for electric utilities?
A recent article published by Environment & Energy Publishing featured CSSN Scholar Joshua Basseches for his expertise on energy and climate politics in the U.S. states. The article investigates whether utilities will work toward achieving decarbonization given the financial gap they potentially face supporting this transition.
Latest
Climate action and populism of the left in Ecuador
CSSN Scholar Teresa Kramarz co-examines climate change in Ecuador, proposing an analytical framework that explains how moments of institutional rupture make way for climate action interests to develop.
Latest
How can the USA and China cooperate and learn from each other to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
With China and the United States being the two greatest producers of greenhouse gases, CSSN Scholar Thomas Daniels explores how the two nations can cooperate and learn from each other in two key areas: transportation and renewable energy sources for electricity.
Latest
The climate advocacy gap
Given the importance of advocacy for climate policy development, CSSN Scholars Samuel Trachtman and Jonas Meckling examine whether pro-climate groups are concentrated in US states where the politics are most opportune or emissions are greatest.
Latest
How inequality fuels climate change: The climate case for a Green New Deal
A study conducted by CSSN Scholars Fergus Green & Noel Healy observes how socioeconomic inequalities fuel climate change, supporting the argument that a Green New Deal (GND) would be more effective at achieving deep and rapid decarbonization than carbon-centric policies alone.
Latest
Videos: Global Climate Governance In The Face Of Obstruction Conference
Recordings from the Global Climate Governance In The Face Of Obstruction conference held on June 8-10, 2022
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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: Amy Janzwood

Amy Janzwood

Amy Janzwood is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and an incoming Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Bieler School of the Environment at McGill University. She is a political scientist specializing in Canadian and comparative energy, climate, and environmental policy and politics. Her research explores the politics of fossil fuel development, including the role of contentious politics, political economy, and interpretive politics. Her book project examines the causal impact of resistance to mega oil sands pipelines and the complex outcomes of this resistance.

Amy Janzwood’s website.

Learn more about Amy Janzwood.

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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