@wouterpoortinga.bsky.social

PhD Studentship alert: Cardiff University has a fully-funded PhD opportunity open for applications on "Flushed pharmaceuticals: understanding behaviours to reduce environmental impact". 📣

Deadline: 28 April 2026

Find out more and apply now: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Earth Day 2026 | Theme, Activities, Events & Resources The theme for Earth Day 2026 is Our Power, Our Planet. Find out how to get involved now and on Earth Day, April 22, 2026.

Explore how you can make an impact and take part in Earth Day, including events and resources: www.earthday.org/earth-day-20...

5 key messages from five years of CAST research: CAST Animation Drawing on five years of CAST research conducted in collaboration with policymakers, local authorities, charities, businesses and community groups, CAST’s latest report: ‘Catalysts of Change: People…

Watch our 3-minute key messages summary animation: youtu.be/vhbvlLlZlAc?...

Catalysts of Change: People at the Heart of Climate Transformations Key messages from five years of social science research on climate change

Read our key messages report "Catalysts of Change: People at the Heart of Climate Transformation", to learn more about our five key messages from five years of CAST social science research on climate change: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Five principles for good public engagement: How to get people involved in the climate conversation This briefing is aimed at politicians, policymakers and practitioners working to engage people with climate action and sustainable behaviour change. It draws on CAST’s extensive evidence base, as well as wider research.

Want to learn more about how to get people involved in the climate conversation? Read our CAST briefing 29: "Five principles for good public engagement: How to get people involved in the climate conversation": cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

3) Environmental progress can only be achieved through everyday actions and behaviour change, and we must see action across all levels of society and in all sectors to drive such impactful societal change.

2) This means adopting a people-centred approach and recognising the important role that individuals, organisations, communities, cities and local authorities play, as well as national and international governments.

1) At CAST, the notion of protecting the planet is at the forefront of our work. And we know that putting people at the heart of climate action is essential in reaching net zero.

Today marks #EarthDay2026, an annual global call to protect our environment, with this year's theme on #OurPowerOurPlanet. The United Nations Earth Day website shares a powerful quote: "Progress does not happen in silence. It happens when people show up". And we couldn't agree more. 🌍 👇

CAST Briefing 47: How to design climate policies that accelerate emission reductions This briefing is intended as a resource for national climate policymakers, international climate negotiators, and those analysing and evaluating national climate policies.

Read the full CAST briefing, which includes seven key recommendations for features of the most effective policy portfolios: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Thanks to Theodoros Arvanitopoulos, Simon Bulian, Charlie Wilson, Andrew Jordan, Jale Tosun & Nicholas Vasilakos for their work on this briefing 👏

Read the academic paper “Climate policy portfolios that accelerate emission reductions”: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

3) Current policies are not reducing emissions fast enough to meet global climate targets. Policymakers must consider not just the number of climate policies adopted, but also how they are designed and embedded in national systems of governance.

2) Climate policies are essential to achieving emission reductions. The study finds that more than three billion tonnes of CO₂ – roughly equal to the EU’s annual emissions – were avoided in 2022 alone due to climate policies.

1) A new study drawing on the most comprehensive climate policy dataset ever assembled reveals the features of climate policy portfolios that deliver the greatest and fastest reductions in carbon emissions.

"Effective climate action is not just about setting ambitious targets or adopting ever more climate policies. It is about combining smart policy design with institutional capacity." 🙌

Cover of CAST Briefing 47 (April 2026). A cover image of several hands using tablets and styluses over ESG charts and documents, with a central tablet displaying a green ‘Net Zero Emission’ dashboard with climate and energy icons, is at the top. Title text reads ‘How to design climate policies that accelerate emission reductions’.” The Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) logo sits at the bottom.

New CAST Briefing: "How to design #ClimatePolicies that accelerate emission reductions", by CAST's Prof Andrew Jordan and colleagues 📣

Read the briefing: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Key messages thread 🧵

@lwhitmarsh.bsky.social, @steveclimate.bsky.social, @wouterpoortinga.bsky.social, @brionylatter.bsky.social, @samhampton.bsky.social, @bankfieldbecky.bsky.social, @carlymclachlan.bsky.social, @chantal-st.bsky.social, @dilbs.bsky.social, @ruthtownend.bsky.social

Read our current list of resources:
1) cast.ac.uk/cast-briefin... (Briefings)
2) cast.ac.uk/cast-reports/ (Reports)
3) cast.ac.uk/cast-academi... (Papers)

Catalysts of Change: People at the Heart of Climate Transformations Key messages from five years of social science research on climate change.

Read our report "Catalysts of Change: People at the Heart of Climate Transformations" for a reminder of our key messages: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

CAST Phase 2: What we plan to achieve - CAST CAST has become a renowned global hub for understanding the actions needed to support more sustainable lifestyles and social structures.

Read more about the research we have planned for the coming years: cast.ac.uk/cast-phase-2...

We were delighted to gather for our annual CAST Assembly at The University of Manchester last week, and the Manchester Art Gallery, bringing together our incredible team of social scientists from across the UK to reflect on the impact we have achieved over the past year 👏

There are now fewer than 13 hours left to apply for our final PhD studentship at the University of East Anglia, on the topic of Environmental Change Agents in hybrid and remote work environments 👇

Apply now on our website: cast.ac.uk/cast-careers/

CAST co-authors include Dr Brendan Moore (@brendanmoore.bsky.social), Dr Lucas Geese (@lucasgeese.bsky.social), Dr John Kenny (@johnkenny.bsky.social), Dr Harriet Dudley, Prof Andrew Jordan & Prof Irene Lorenzoni from the University of East Anglia (@uniofeastanglia.bsky.social)👏

CAST Briefing 33: When, how, and why do politicians engage with climate change? A systematic review This briefing is for politicians and other policymakers working on climate policy, as well as academics studying climate politics and policy making.

Read CAST briefing 33 for a summary of the key messages and recommendations: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature

We are proud to see our CAST paper on "Politicians and climate change: A systematic review of the literature" among the top 10 cited papers for the Wiley WIREs Climate Change journal in 2024. 👏

Read the paper: wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

CAST BRIEFING 46: Helping local authorities make decisions that benefit people and the planet: Trialling an integrated assessment tool in Wales This briefing is intended as a resource for local authorities and those working with them seeking to reduce carbon emissions while delivering wider societal benefits. It is based on our work in Wales, but learnings are likely to be relevant across other regions too.

Read the full CAST briefing, which includes three key recommendations for local authorities seeking to reduce carbon emissions while delivering wider societal benefits: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...

With special thanks to our collaborators Fiona Mocko and Alex Ellis from Flintshire County Council and Richard Lewis from the Welsh Local Government Association for working with CAST on this project. 👏

3) Local authorities aiming to cut carbon emissions while delivering wider social benefits should create cross‑department teams of trained 'climate champions', share best practices internally and with other local authorities, and work with leaders and cabinet members to prioritise climate action.