@chantal-st
Senior Research Associate @cast-centre.bsky.social and University of East Anglia Currently, I work on climate politics in the UK & Germany. Other interests include political communication, discourse and German politics. PhD on German Greens @Uni of Leeds
Energy independence is consistently one of the most powerful pro-Net Zero arguments among voters.
They back renewables over fossil fuel as the solution and it's not particularly close.
Bit baffled that Govt is not hammering this more loudly in light of Iran. Pushing at an open door.
Radical parties of the right and left in top two slots. Legacy parties getting only a third of the vote between them.
A whole new world.
Women MPs and climate action 🌍👩💼
@hannahsalamon.bsky.social's new research from the UK Parliament shows women MPs talk about the environment more than men helping embed #Climate issues across politics
Over the past eighteen months, the political science consensus on the nature of Labour's vote has been absolutely correct - and yet also completely ignored by pundits and strategists who continue to get it wrong.
The Green victory in Denton is the result which will have the biggest effect on Labour, far more so than a Reform win.
The blithe assumption progressives have nowhere else to go has been proved catastrophically wrong.
Can’t help thinking of this quote from a Labour minister, a year ago…
When it comes to domestic heating, it seems 'choice' of systems and fuels is reigning supreme
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Access to public services and cultural amenities is increasingly taking on a political dimension - being associated with support for the radical right. This piece reminds me of the excellent work by @dianebolet.bsky.social on the link between local pub closures and support for UKIP.
High emissions and low admission? 🏭️
@lucasgeese.bsky.social and @chantal-st.bsky.social use rare data to understand what impact the carbon footprint of voters has on the decarbonisation focus of MPS, asking whether politician's prioritize #NetZero, or short-term electoral gains 🌍️
I enjoyed spending some time digesting the reaction to Labour's Warm Homes Plan last month.
Some initial thoughts in this blog post👇
With the long-awaited #WarmHomesPlan now published, CAST's Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett (@chantal-st.bsky.social) shares her reflections on the ambitious climate policy and the impact of its success and public perceptions in the context of increasing politicisation. 📣
Read the blog post 👇
German Energy Review 2025 – 🇬🇧 English translation available now! #Germany is losing momentum in #climate protection! Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 9 million tons of CO₂ (1.5 percent) – less than half the savings achieved in 2024. 1/x
New research from CAST's Dr Lucas Geese (@lucasgeese.bsky.social) & Dr Chantal Sullivan-Thomsett (@chantal-st.bsky.social) shows that UK MPs give less attention to decarbonisation in more carbon-intensive constituencies, especially Conservatives and marginal seats. 📣
Read the open access paper 👇
📌New in EJPR (OA): We ask whether MPs prioritise decarbonisation most where consumption emissions are highest.
Answer (UK): No — MPs give less attention to decarbonisation in more carbon-intensive constituencies, especially Conservatives + marginal seats (speech analysis + elite interviews).
@cast-centre.bsky.social @tyndallcentre.bsky.social
Really delighted to see this article with @lucasgeese.bsky.social finally out.
Using speech analysis + elite interviews, we show that UK MPs give less attention to decarbonisation when they represent more carbon-intensive constituencies — especially among Conservative MPs and in marginal seats.
Banner for the European Journal of Political Research, highlighting "Open Access," with the ECPR logo displayed in the corner.
#OpenAccess from @ejprjournal.bsky.social -
High emissions, low engagement? How members of parliament represent the carbon footprint of their constituents - https://cup.org/49P9QPr
- Lucas Geese & @chantal-st.bsky.social
#FirstView
📣Breaking: New gov plan sets out £15 bn to help families improve their homes with clean energy technologies.
UK Gov has just released its long-awaited #WarmHomesPlan, which aims to make houses warmer, less draughty, and more energy efficient. 🧵
Image credit: Liz Seabrook / Nesta / Climate Visuals
The cover page of a briefing document titled “CAST BRIEFING 43 – November 2025” from the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations. The top section features a photo of several people seated in a discussion setting, suggesting a group conversation or assembly. Below the image, the heading reads: “Using citizens’ assemblies to shape climate policy: A summary of current thinking for policymakers and practitioners.” The main content area contains a box labelled “Key messages” with bullet points. At the bottom, the CAST logo and description appear: CAST is a global hub for understanding how people can act on climate change, hosted by Cardiff University and partners.
How can we use citizens' assemblies to shape climate policy?👥
New CAST Briefing: "Using citizens’ assemblies to shape climate policy: A summary of
current thinking for policymakers and practitioners", led by Prof Irene Lorenzoni.
Key messages thread 🧵
Read the briefing: cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...
🚨 NEW ISSUE: Issue 9 is out now, with the latest on #climatejustice, #adaptation #finance allocation, translating #emissions targets into policy, #carbonmarkets, #justtransition & much more💥
💡 Insights from @marthewens.bsky.social @yarime.bsky.social @chantal-st.bsky.social & more⬇️
New paper with @lucasgeese.bsky.social at @commsearth.nature.com
UK MPs + publics in Britain, Canada, Chile & Germany underestimated the urgency of peaking global GHG emissions when surveyed in 2023.
@tyndallcentre.bsky.social @cast-centre.bsky.social
@climateuea.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eI4J3
I was particularly excited to hear Lorraine mention my work on heating decarbonisation in Germany as a cautionary tale for the UK to avoid climate policy backlash. You can read more about via the link below, with further published work to follow (hopefully) very soon!
cast.ac.uk/wp-content/u...
CAST research centre director Lorraine Whitmarsh is giving evidence to the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee in parliament, imparting the wealth of knowledge from her own work, as well as from my @cast-centre.bsky.social colleagues on how government can build support for the energy transition.
Robert Habeck hat sein Bundestagsmandat abgegeben. Doch laut einer Umfrage wünschen sich 35 Prozent der Deutschen eine Rückkehr des Grünenpolitikers. Dabei gibt es deutliche Unterschiede zwischen Männern und Frauen.
Als erklärter Fan des Konzepts „Loud Quitting“ – ehrlich sagen, wenn der Job und das Führungspersonal furchtbar waren –
Warum kann nicht jedes Politiker-Interview so sein wie dieses mit Habeck in der @taz.de?
taz.de/Robert-Habec...
#ICYMI: A report from the Tyndall Centre and LSE, earlier this year, shows how better integration of climate and health policies can address climate-driven health threats and boost resilience tyndall.ac.uk/reports/adva... #ClimateHealth #ClimatePolicy
🤖 PoliticsHome reporter @zoecrowther.bsky.social spoke with Britain's first AI MP to test its limits – and the conversation became quite weird
👀 After this chat, the (real) Labour MP Mark Sewards said he had to “tighten” the tool up to prevent such outlandish remarks
Collapse of languages has ‘knock-on effects’ for research
University-wide language provision increasingly important for international research capabilities, says Hepi report author. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
@germanatportsmouth.bsky.social @britgerassoc.bsky.social @wigsblog.bsky.social @germanatbristol.bsky.social @lcsleeds.bsky.social @uomsalc.bsky.social @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social @polisatleeds.bsky.social @uclspp.bsky.social
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While in parts of what was once "One Nation Tory" England the Conservatives are being replaced by the Liberal Democrats and in some cases even the Greens