Putting people at the heart of climate action

What does the 2025 CCC Progress Report say about CAST’s ‘sticky issues’?

CAST responds to the Climate Change Committee's 2025 Progress Report, drawing on CAST’s research on ‘sticky issues’, we discuss where the UK is heading, what’s missing, and why meaningful public engagement is more urgent than ever.

Listening to the public on fairness: 5 key insights for climate policymakers and practitioners

CAST Deputy Director, Dr Christina Demski, shares five key insights on fairness for climate policymakers and practitioners, drawn from her work on engaging the public with climate change.

A letter to those working on climate: Keep going, stay united

CAST Knowledge Exchange Associate Bella Zanin writes a guest blog post on how environmental action could be at risk of becoming the next battleground in the UK’s culture wars.

Building a Net Zero future: CAST's response to the CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget Report

CAST responds to the Climate Change Committee's (CCC) latest advice on how to achieve Net Zero in its Seventh Carbon Budget report.

Starmer at COP29: Can the UK really cut emissions without behaviour change?

As the Government consults the Climate Change Committee on delivering the UK’s new emissions reduction target, CAST offers its perspective.

CAST partners with charity Pledgeball to drive transformational climate action through sport

CAST announces its partnership with Pledgeball, a charity rallying the sports community to accelerate systemic change.

The 2024 UK election and the uncertain mandate for rapid climate action

CAST Senior Research Associate Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett discusses the 2024 UK political election and the uncertain mandate for rapid climate action.

CAST Phase 2 announcement: What we plan to achieve in the next five years

In this blog post, we look back at what we achieved in Phase 1 and outline our key objectives moving forward for CAST Phase 2; our next five years as a leading centre helping the UK achieve its climate and wider sustainability goals.

4 ways social science can help us reach Net Zero, according to the CCC’s 2024 Progress Report

CAST explores four ways social science can help us reach Net Zero, according to the CCC’s 2024 Progress Report.

Why better insights on ethnicity are important for climate communication

Climate Barometer discuss why better insights on ethnicity are important for climate communication in this short blog post.

5 key messages from five years of CAST research: Why and how to put people at the heart of climate action

We discuss our five key messages from five years of CAST research: Why and how to put people at the heart of climate action.

Relaunch of CAST Data Portal: Public views on climate, reveals that public concern about climate change is still high

The CAST Data Portal relaunch reveals that public concern about climate change is still high and people are supportive of urgent action.

CAST Director Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE stars in ActNowFilm premiering at COP28 calling for young people to be at the frontline of global climate policymaking and negotiations

CAST Director Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh stars in the ActNowFilm calling for young people to be at the frontline of global climate policymaking and negotiations.

CAST report shows repair and reuse initiatives are effective at preventing waste and providing community benefits in Wales

A CAST report about a pilot project on repair and reuse initiatives, as part of a collaboration with Keep Wales Tidy, shows they are an effective way of preventing waste and providing community benefits to urban and rural communities in Wales.

CAST research shows Cornwall Council staff are highly concerned about climate change, but knowledge gaps prevent them from taking action

Our CAST briefing on motivating a low-carbon workforce shows Cornwall Council staff are very concerned about climate change.

CAST responds to the Prime Minister's new approach to Net Zero: How will this impact the UK meeting its climate targets?

CAST researchers respond to the Prime Minister's 'new approach' to Net Zero and discuss how it will impact the UK meeting its climate targets.

CAST survey reveals that Cornwall residents are more concerned about climate change than the rest of the UK and strongly back climate action

A CAST survey reveals that Cornwall residents are more concerned about climate change than the rest of the UK and strongly back climate action.

CAST report reveals that substantial behaviour change is required across society to reach the UK’s net zero 2050 target

A CAST report reveals that substantial behaviour change is required across society to reach the UK’s ambitious net-zero 2050 target.

CAST research reveals younger people experience more fear, guilt and outrage over the impact of climate change

CAST Prof Wouter Poortinga's research paper reveals younger people experience more fear, guilt and outrage over the impact of climate change.

CAST supports the Climate Change Committee’s call for increased pace of change

CAST examines the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) recommendations in their 2023 Progress Report in relation to social transformations.

'The Big One': CAST Deputy Director Stuart Capstick On His Experience at London Climate and Nature Protests

CAST's Dr Stuart Capstick discusses his experience at ‘The Big One’ climate and nature protests as part of Scientists for XR.

CAST Contributes to Essential Ecolibrium Green Travel Guide for Festivals and Events 2023

CAST PhD Researcher and CAST Affiliate Dr Adam Corner contribute to essential 2023 ecolibrium Green Travel Guide for Festivals and Events.

CAST Director Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE Joins Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group

CAST Director Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE has joined the Wales Net Zero 2035 Challenge Group which launched their first challenge.

IPCC report delivers a stark warning but also a message of hope

CAST Director Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE shares her thoughts on the 2023 IPCC report and its policy implications.

A new resource to help live music events engage their audiences with sustainable travel

This collaborative CAST report with Julie's Bicycle and Shambala Festival is a practical resource for people working on live music and sustainability.

Organisational transformations for a greener future

This blog post discusses a CAST report on organisational transformations for a greener future which includes four case studies of different UK companies working to achieve their vision for sustainability.

Cost of living crisis hasn’t dented public support for climate policies… and there are some policies which are almost universally supported

New polling data from Ipsos and CAST shows the UK public continues to support ‘net zero’ policies, despite the cost-of-living crisis.

What did COP27 do for public engagement?

CAST discuss what COP27 did for public engagement on climate change.

UK will fail to reach climate targets unless Government drives behaviour change

A new report has revealed that a third of emission savings by 2035 must come from people changing their behaviours.

How can SMEs be supported to rapidly decarbonise? Try talking to them about what really matters

CAST's Sam Hampton and Richard Blunde discuss their research and how SMEs can be supported to rapidly decarbonise.

Climate anxiety an important driver for climate action

The first-ever detailed study of climate anxiety among the UK adult population suggests that whilst rates are currently low, people’s fears about the future of the planet might be an important trigger for action when it comes to adapting our high-carbon lifestyles to become more environmentally friendly.

New scientific insights on tackling climate change from the IPCC’s sixth assessment report

CAST's Charlie Wilson & Christina Demski discuss scientific insights on tackling climate change from the IPCC’s sixth assessment report.

Positively influencing the travel choices of live music audiences

CAST's Adam Corner discusses upcoming research on positively influencing the travel choices of live music audiences.

The IPCC’s message is clear: social transformation, not a technofix, is needed to tackle climate change

The CAST team respond to the IPPC's Sixth Assessment Report.

Why is public engagement and participation with net zero so important?

CAST’s Deputy Director, Christina Demski, has been advising the UK government on public engagement with net zero since 2020. In this blog, she shares key insights from her research note on how policymakers can effectively involve the public in climate action.

Climate emergency declarations: what do they tell us about universities response to climate change?

PhD Candidate Briony Latter discusses new research where 37 declarations by UK universities were analysed in order to understand how they are responding to, and positioning themselves in relation to climate change.

CAST Director Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh recognised with MBE in New Year Honours list for Services to Social Research in Climate Change, Energy and Transport.

Leading environmental psychologist and CAST Director, Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, has been recognised in this year’s New Year’s Honours, announced by The Cabinet Office.

How far did COP26 go on putting public action at the heart of the agenda? Reflections from CAST

Four weeks after the last gavel landed at COP26 in Glasgow, the team at CAST reflect on what the international negotiations mean for our work.

Early career researcher to advise government climate change policy

Research Associate, Dr Caroline Verfuerth, has secured a major fellowship in Welsh Government to advise policy makers on reducing environmental and agricultural carbon emissions.

Mapping the transformative turn: a systematic review of the academic literature on transformations for climate change mitigation

Brendan Moore’s discusses the findings of WIREs Climate Change study reviews 198 articles on climate mitigation, exploring how the concept of transformation is used to describe the deep societal shifts needed to meet Paris Agreement goals.

UK public willing to take significant action to tackle climate change

In time for Earth Day 2021 – a critical year for international environmental policy, with major deals in progress on climate, biodiversity, food and oceans – a new poll shows strong support from the UK public for climate action by the government, business and individuals.

People want a carrot (not stick) approach to low carbon food

Recent headlines that the UK government might slap a carbon tax on burgers and the great British banger have reignited controversy about what tackling the climate will mean for our food. The rumours of an imminent meat tax were dismissed by the PM in a grilling by The Sun’s new Green Team, but the fundamental question remains of what climate change means for our diets.

Tracking the human cost of climate change: The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change

In this blog, we outline what the Lancet Countdown covers and highlight findings from the 2020 report relevant to CAST’s agenda. Hilary Graham, Pete Lampard and Stuart Capstick are among the authors of the 2020 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change.

How has Covid-19 affected low-carbon behaviours and climate attitudes?

Measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic are probably the most significant disruption to lifestyles in living memory. And while the pandemic has impacted lives and livelihoods globally, it has also created an unprecedented and perhaps unique ‘moment of change’ during which many climate-relevant behaviours have been upended almost overnight.

Why the NHS holds the key to action on climate change

Hilary Graham writes about why the NHS holds the key to action on climate change.

The transition to a post-carbon economy must uphold social justice

In a new policy briefing, the COP26 Universities Network warns that the transition to net-zero cannot be sustainable if it creates or exacerbates social inequalities.

Why the UK needs a diverse leadership team for COP26

Lorraine Whitmarsh, Sam Fankhauser, Katharine Steentjes, Candice Howarth discuss why the UK needs a diverse leadership team for COP26.

The Path to Net Zero: "A clear mandate to policy makers for bold action".

"Climate change lives in our imagination" - a conversation with Professor Mike Hulme

In the second webcast of this programme we asked Professor Mike Hulme of the University of Cambridge to share some of the Tyndall Centre's history and discuss the question: Can (and should) research seek to change the world? Watch below, and join us for our live webinars on September 14th and September 15th.

Doing, not telling: Inspiring stories of food, fixing, and active travel.

In the first webcast of this programme we spoke with three community organisations about how they've translated their actions into wider action on climate breakdown. Watch below, and join us for our live webinars on September 14th and September 15th.

Student innovators pitch ideas to tackle the CAST areas of focus

A ‘smart fridge,’ an app that cuts supermarket food waste, and a system that uses small change to plants trees are among the winners of a new sustainability challenge for Cardiff University students and graduates.

CAST supports Cardiff University's Climate Emergency Declaration

Cardiff University has declared a climate emergency and announced its aim to become carbon neutral by 2030. Cardiff University is our host institution and we're pleased to have been able to support the University Executive Board in their discussions around the climate emergency.

CAST Director to take lead role in citizens assembly on climate change

Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, our centre director, is one of four lead experts who will support the design and delivery of the Climate Assembly UK.

CAST launches with new findings on public opinion on climate change

We are pleased to officially launch the CAST Centre today with a special event held at Cardiff University. In this short video Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh describes why CAST is needed and what we aim to achieve.

Transdisciplinarity for Climate Change and Social Transformations

Claire Hooholan discusses transdisciplinarity for Climate Change and social transformations.

What role will Climate Outreach play in CAST?

Dr Adam Corner writes about what role Climate Outreach will play in CAST as a member organisation.

Introducing CAST: Putting people at the heart of efforts to tackle climate change

CAST Director Prof. Lorraine Whitmarsh introduces the newly announced Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations.

CAST

Putting people at the heart of climate action (page 11)

“We believe that climate action should happen *with people, not to people**, and deliver benefits such as cleaner air, warmer homes, lower bills and fairer communities. At CAST we research how to make this happen.”*

Research Themes

Latest News

Putting people at the heart of climate action (page 11)

“We believe that climate action should happen with people, not to people, and deliver benefits such as cleaner air, warmer homes, lower bills and fairer communities. At CAST we research how to make this happen.”

Research Themes

Latest News

“We believe that climate action should happen *with people, not to people**, and deliver benefits such as cleaner air, warmer homes, lower bills and fairer communities. At CAST we research how to make this happen.”*