How to Research Climate Change: A Debate on Methods and Perspectives from Political

Abstract

The climate emergency is one of the most profound challenges facing democracies today. For decades, science has demonstrated irrefutable evidence of climate change. Yet there remains a lack of political will to fully address its causes, and the reactions of social and political actors to the climate crisis often fall short. Reasons can be found in lobbying, disinformation campaigns, or insufficient collective action and mobilisation. Held in conjunction with our 2023 Winter School, this House Series lunchtime debate takes stock of the contribution that political science can make to tackling the climate crisis. The event brings together quantitative and qualitative methods specialists to discuss the various ways of studying political phenomena related to climate change politics and policy, and the implications these different methods have on the knowledge created.