Scholars
Robert J. Brulle
Brown University
Based in
United States
North America
Robert Brulle is Visiting Professor of Environment and Society at Brown University in Providence RI, an Emeritus Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science at Drexel University in Philadelphia, and Director of Research at the Climate Social Science Network (CSSN). His research focuses on U.S. environmental politics, critical theory, and the political and cultural dynamics of climate change. He is the author of over one hundred publications in these areas, and is the author of three books: Agency, Democracy and the Environment: The U.S. Environmental Movement from the Perspective of Critical Theory, co-editor, with David Pellow, of Power, Justice and the Environment, and co-editor, with Riley Dunlap, of Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives. He was awarded the Frederick H. Buttle Distinguished Contribution Award to Environmental Sociology by the American Sociological Association in 2016, and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association in 2018. Prior to his employment in the academic field, Dr. Brulle served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard for twenty four years, where his area of expertise was in the field of environmental response and pollution prevention.
Country(ies) of Specialty
United StatesFocus areas of expertise
Greenwashing History Fossil fuels Social movementsPublications
Articles
Brulle, R., & Downie, C. (2022). Following the money: trade associations, political activity and climate change. Climatic Change, 175(3), 1-19. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-022-03466-0
Brulle, R. J. (2022). Advocating inaction: a historical analysis of the Global Climate Coalition. Environmental Politics, 1-22. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/GCC-Paper.pdf
Brulle, R. J., & Werthman, C. (2021). The role of public relations firms in climate change politics. Climatic Change, 169(1), 1-21. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/10584_2021_3244_OnlinePDF.pdf
Brulle, R. J. (2021). Networks of opposition: A structural analysis of US climate change countermovement coalitions 1989–2015. Sociological Inquiry, 91(3), 603-624. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Brulle-2/publication/336695509_Networks_of_Opposition_A_Structural_Analysis_of_US_Climate_Change_Countermovement_Coalitions_1989-2015/links/5eb0795b299bf18b959500c2/Networks-of-Opposition-A-Structural-Analysis-of-US-Climate-Change-Countermovement-Coalitions-1989-2015.pdf
Brulle, R. J., Hall, G., Loy, L., & Schell-Smith, K. (2021). Obstructing action: foundation funding and US climate change counter-movement organizations. Climatic Change, 166(1), 1-7. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-021-03117-w
Falzon, D., Roberts, J. T., & Brulle, R. J. (2021). Sociology and Climate Change: A Review and Research Agenda. Handbook of Environmental Sociology, 189-217. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=8vBLEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA188&ots=85_VxtJsFc&sig=kZEDN9oMGHsJGPYjgiv-N1u-yuU#v=onepage&q&f=false
Dunlap, R. E., & Brulle, R. J. (2020). Sources and amplifiers of climate change denial. Research Handbook on Communicating Climate Change. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/71490897/DunlapBrulle.2020.Prepub.pdf?1633490352=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DSources_and_Amplifiers_of_Climate_Change.pdf&Expires=1671394654&Signature=QKtrmZZ~DPr6uTzdPH6zDtAGBJYKDQb1dQm5txG4~RstZ6qrnMq19j4RKF2ggLDN-Gs0BEAHfWWSXZZdru0PyGk51D3ZsOdHtdcTT041WtHyyb32~P7EJMlTiI2IsoTijOqMDfKvNYvEZB-J9YYnHXC8o44XsPx8fGxxraA5~T~zqzWV~iTX7YOlJASSkoy4BYEktr31QUU3vAlaK5mJpQFNJSx~KrabSPAvj4pD-GQuTswy8LBs0HkVYyqgC9lNj2POtPH2ONTeJ05xuUaFcq3y7aPGVT8Na0zyxLgAf4A8eAwk-e4jqH5XWZvYWblurAmNzk79MPfW3qvmAcW0hw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Brulle, R. J. (2020). Denialism: organized opposition to climate change action in the United States. In Handbook of US environmental policy (pp. 328-341). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Brulle-2/publication/341134690_Denialism_organized_opposition_to_climate_change_action_in_the_United_States/links/5eb079ec299bf18b959500ce/Denialism-organized-opposition-to-climate-change-action-in-the-United-States.pdf
Brulle, R. J., Aronczyk, M., & Carmichael, J. (2020). Corporate promotion and climate change: an analysis of key variables affecting advertising spending by major oil corporations, 1986–2015. Climatic Change, 159(1), 87-101. http://wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/maronczyk/wp-content/uploads/sites/178/2020/03/Brulle2019_Article_CorporatePromotionAndClimateCh.pdf
Brulle, R., & Aronczyk, M. (2019). Environmental countermovements: organised opposition to climate change action in the United States. In Routledge handbook of global sustainability governance (pp. 218-230). Routledge. http://wp.comminfo.rutgers.edu/maronczyk/wp-content/uploads/sites/178/2020/03/Environmental-Countermovements_FINAL-PROOFS-Ch-17.pdf
Farrell, J., McConnell, K., & Brulle, R. (2019). Evidence-based strategies to combat scientific misinformation. Nature climate change, 9(3), 191-195. https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/60624418/Farrell_Strategies_Misinformation20190917-27838-1n29geh-libre.pdf?1568737025=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DEvidence_based_strategies_to_combat_scie.pdf&Expires=1671394452&Signature=Dp5iHvdk3Jw7jqdHwV5y0CIR24H0ohepDbYuxuJcfl9y0Ac-sG1m5-WlPLJrfk7DfL9~WYwUYQDbBTDRCM9XidfGU6OFDP2PicpMxQTWYNOgTDpwi~h85DHN-W~L92zYRt1~7KheZvujxi3Gp5Uv6pEKwr2u-y5mRZrDGJSaTYRsYqXy-Lo7K09hdIAcnNJsSzbL-F0g3-ivUDQB9Ilot9LAWZALnhfdrbpg9aKCOD6lu2qzXIJ~vY50lZqrZMX1-Fm0wrOjfYWyLr4UZspA4Kz1Zn6O4wJ44xrrnwFHmRoSLBDp3lJDZ7Zq48Z~ce64aDyqeccPwRKrH9VrEmBw~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA
Brulle, R. J., & Norgaard, K. M. (2019). Avoiding cultural trauma: Climate change and social inertia. Environmental Politics. https://pages.uoregon.edu/norgaard/pdf/Avoiding-Cultural-Trauma-Brulle-Norgaard-2019.pdf
Brulle, R. J. (2018). The climate lobby: a sectoral analysis of lobbying spending on climate change in the USA, 2000 to 2016. Climatic change, 149(3), 289-303. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Brulle2018_Article_TheClimateLobbyASectoralAnalys.pdf
Carmichael, J. T., & Brulle, R. J. (2018). Media use and climate change concern. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, 14(2), 243-253. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Carmichael/publication/327056092_Media_use_and_climate_change_concern/links/5b7afd10a6fdcc5f8b580cc3/Media-use-and-climate-change-concern.pdf
Carmichael, J. T., Brulle, R. J., & Huxster, J. K. (2017). The great divide: Understanding the role of media and other drivers of the partisan divide in public concern over climate change in the USA, 2001–2014. Climatic Change, 141(4), 599-612. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Carmichael/publication/313109705_The_great_divide_understanding_the_role_of_media_and_other_drivers_of_the_partisan_divide_in_public_concern_over_climate_change_in_the_USA_2001-2014/links/59de224faca272204c2c7fcb/The-great-divide-understanding-the-role-of-media-and-other-drivers-of-the-partisan-divide-in-public-concern-over-climate-change-in-the-USA-2001-2014.pdf
Carmichael, J. T., & Brulle, R. J. (2017). Elite cues, media coverage, and public concern: an integrated path analysis of public opinion on climate change, 2001–2013. Environmental Politics, 26(2), 232-252. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jason-Carmichael/publication/311446538_Elite_cues_media_coverage_and_public_concern_an_integrated_path_analysis_of_public_opinion_on_climate_change_2001-2013/links/5a4d0d81458515a6bc6dc678/Elite-cues-media-coverage-and-public-concern-an-integrated-path-analysis-of-public-opinion-on-climate-change-2001-2013.pdf
Brulle, R. J., & Roberts, J. T. (2017). Climate misinformation campaigns and public sociology. Contexts, 16(1), 78-79. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1536504217696081
Brulle, R. J., & Antonio, R. J. (2015). The Pope’s fateful vision of hope for society and the planet. Nature Climate Change, 5(10), 900-901. https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2796
Caniglia, B. S., Brulle, R. J., & Szasz, A. (2015). Civil society, social movements, and climate change. Climate change and society: Sociological perspectives, 1, 235-268. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bTlKCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA235&ots=c06xIFaGnj&sig=l-GOzYPF4PCsrWuvmIySt_mpUQ8#v=onepage&q&f=false
Brulle, R. J., & Dunlap, R. E. (2015). Sociology and global climate change. Climate change and society: Sociological perspectives, 1, 1-31. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Riley-Dunlap/publication/299871844_Sociology_and_Global_Climate_Change/links/597d3609aca272d568132008/Sociology-and-Global-Climate-Change.pdf
Huxster, J. K., Carmichael, J. T., & Brulle, R. (2015). A macro political examination of the partisan and ideological divide in aggregate public concern over climate change in the US between 2001 and 2013. Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, 4(1), 1. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joanna-Huxster/publication/279804340_A_Macro_Political_Examination_of_the_Partisan_and_Ideological_Divide_in_Aggregate_Public_Concern_over_Climate_Change_in_the_US_between_2001_and_2013/links/559b0e8908ae99aa62ce318f/A-Macro-Political-Examination-of-the-Partisan-and-Ideological-Divide-in-Aggregate-Public-Concern-over-Climate-Change-in-the-US-between-2001-and-2013.pdf
Brulle, R., & Wolinsky-Nahmias, Y. (2014). The US national climate change movement. Changing climate politics: US policies and civic action, 146-170. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=M2F2AwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA146&ots=bsakyjk9wv&sig=dQ-r2aLnwnzaDk4Efs63E4moiKI#v=onepage&q&f=false
Brulle, R. J. (2014). Institutionalizing delay: foundation funding and the creation of US climate change counter-movement organizations. Climatic change, 122(4), 681-694. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-013-1018-7
Brulle, R. J., Carmichael, J., & Jenkins, J. C. (2012). Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the US, 2002–2010. Climatic change, 114(2), 169-188. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10584-012-0403-y?TB_iframe=true&width=921.6&height=921.6
Antonio, R. J., & Brulle, R. J. (2011). The unbearable lightness of politics: Climate change denial and political polarization. The Sociological Quarterly, 52(2), 195-202. https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_4800/antonio_brulle_2011.pdf
Brulle, R. J. (2010). From environmental campaigns to advancing the public dialog: Environmental communication for civic engagement. Environmental Communication, 4(1), 82-98. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17524030903522397
Dispensa, J. M., & Brulle, R. J. (2003). Media’s social construction of environmental issues: focus on global warming–a comparative study. International Journal of sociology and social policy. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Robert-Brulle-2/publication/242022207_Media’s_Social_Construction_of_Environmental_Issues_Focus_on_Global_Warming-A_Comparative_Study/links/54d15b960cf28959aa7ae205/Medias-Social-Construction-of-Environmental-Issues-Focus-on-Global-Warming-A-Comparative-Study.pdf