Theme leads:
Summary:
In CAST Theme 2: Learning, we are continuing to explore historic experiences of and new opportunities for transformational change, as we did in our first five years of research.
We focus on understanding the process of change – what drives it and what holds it back – using insights from multiple disciplines.
Theme 2’s work complements the present – and future-oriented work of Theme 1 and provides the foundations for the experimental and action-oriented work of Themes 3 and 4.
The core aims of Theme 2 are:
- Explore the drivers of and barriers of transformations.
- Identify present day opportunities for achieving change.
Projects we’re currently working on:
- Understanding the policy determinants of decarbonisation
- Understanding the role of politicians
- Understanding the Climate Change Committee
- Understanding the transferability and scalability of social transformation
- Understanding moments of change
- Evaluating the impact of the ‘Greener & Cleaner’ hub in motivating low carbon behaviours
Understanding the policy determinants of decarbonisation
Project lead: Prof Andy Jordan, Prof Irene Lorenzoni & Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett
This project explores the extent to which public policies drive emissions reductions. Through analysis of climate policy datasets, policy documents, surveys and elite interviews with policy actors (e.g., elected officials) and systematic literature reviews, it makes fresh connections between theories of political science, public policy, transitions and psychology.
Resources:
- Arvanitopoulos, T., Bulian, S., Wilson, C. et al. Climate policy portfolios that accelerate emission reductions. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-68577-z
- Jordan, A.J., Birch, S., Graham. H., O’Riordan, T., and H. Richards (eds) (2025) The critical role of governance for decarbonisation at pace. Journal of the British Academy, 13, 1. A9-a13. ISSN 2052-7217.
- Sovacool, B., Geels, F., Andersen, A., Grubb, M., Jordan, A.J., …. Moore, B. …. et al (2025) The acceleration of low-carbon transitions: insights, concepts, challenges, and new directions for research, Energy Research & Social Science, 121, March, 103948. DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2025.103948
- Schaub, S., Tosun, J. and A.J. Jordan (2024) Climate action through policy expansion and/or dismantling: an introduction to the special issue. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis, 26, 3, 215-232. DOI: 10.1080/13876988.2024.2369640
Understanding the role of politicians
Project lead: Prof Andy Jordan, Prof Irene Lorenzoni & Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett
This project focuses on understanding politicians’ motivations and strategies in relation to climate action. It addresses a gap in relevant literature by undertaking more research on government-centred actors, specifically how they have (not) sought to lead, steer and enable change. Current outputs include a systematic review on the role of politicians in climate action (with an accompanying CAST briefing), and a paper on A review of National Citizens’ Climate Assemblies: learning from deliberative events’ (with a CAST briefing on using citizens’ assemblies to shape climate policy).
Resources:
- Lorenzoni, I., Jordan, A. J., Sullivan-Thomsett, C., & Geese, L. (2025). A review of National Citizens’ Climate Assemblies: learning from deliberative events. Climate Policy, 25(9), 1546–1562. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2024.2449416
- Moore, B., Geese, L., Kenny, J,, Dudley, H., Jordan, A., Prados Pascual, A., Lorenzoni, I., Schaub, S., Enguer, J. and Tosun, J. (2024) Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature, WIREs Climate Change, https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.908
- Geese, L., Sullivan-Thomsett, C., J. Jordan, A., Kenny, J., & Lorenzoni, I. (2024). Measuring climate mitigation policy content in text-as-data: navigating the conceptual challenges. Political Research Exchange, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2474736X.2024.2387120
Understanding the Climate Change Committee
Project lead: Prof Andy Jordan, Prof Irene Lorenzoni & Harriet Dudley
We investigate why/when the UK Government accepts (or not) the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) advice, drawing lessons for advisory bodies, NGOs and policy makers. Current outputs include a paper and CAST briefing on the UK Climate Change Committee’ recommendations over more than a decade, and a paper (and CAST briefing) on the policy impact of climate change advisory bodies’ recommendations.
Resources:
- Dudley, H., Jordan, A., & Lorenzoni, I. (2022). Advising national climate policy makers: A longitudinal analysis of the UK Climate Change Committee, Global Environmental Change, Volume 76, 102589, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102589.
- Dudley, H., Holmes, J., Jordan, A., & Lorenzoni, I. (2025). The policy impact of climate change advisory bodies: government responses to the UK Climate Change Committee’s recommendations, 2009–2020. Climate Policy, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2025.2497881
Understanding the transferability and scalability of social transformation
Project lead: Dr Sarah Mander, Dr Claire Hoolohan & Dr Aimie Hope
We characterise the conditions and processes of social transformation, exploring questions about transferability and scalability to understand how transformational change can be enabled/extended. We also consider transferability between different action areas (e.g. water or energy), places, communities, scales, organisational contexts, and types of ‘moments of change’. Outputs will include two academic papers, associated CAST briefings and a ‘best practice’ guide to enhance learning within and beyond CAST.
Resources:
- This project takes as a starting point the definition of transformational mitigation proposed by Moore et al (2021) and considers its applicability to diverse examples of climate mitigation activities, for example, flight-free holidays and grassroots climate action, to explore whether and how actions may be transferred across sectors, contexts and scales.
Understanding moments of change
Project lead: Prof Lorraine Whitmarsh MBE
Are people more open to behaviour change at key life stages/events? This project uses ‘moments of change’ as an analytical device to examine how changes in the actions of individuals and organisations occur. This project integrates sociological, political, socio-technical and psychological understandings of moments of change.
Resources:
- CAST Briefing 24: ‘Moments of Change’ for Low-Carbon Behaviour
- Posters for “Moments of Change” for Low-Carbon Behaviour
Evaluating the impact of the ‘Greener & Cleaner’ hub in motivating low carbon behaviours
Project lead: Dr Mark Wilson
This project focused on how community climate hubs influence people’s climate understanding and behaviour. The Greener & Cleaner Hub is an innovative, grass-roots, peer to peer model for encouraging low carbon behaviours at the individual, community and organisation levels. CAST worked with Greener and Cleaner to understand how engaging with the hub leads to increased understanding of climate and environmental issues and how it motivates individual and collective climate action.
Resources:
- Report: Community climate hubs – the Greener and Cleaner peer-learning model for low-carbon lifestyles.
CAST Briefing 44: From awareness to action: The role of community climate hubs in encouraging low-carbon lifestyles.
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