Climate Politics and the Impact of Think Tanks

“This very timely and essential volume illuminates one of the most pressing problems of modern times concerning rapid climate change and environmental destruction on one side, and climate denialism and politicization of environmental policies on the other.”

-- Barbara Wejnert , Professor, Department of Environment and Sustainability, University at Buffalo, USA

How are think tanks shaping public debate and political decision-making on climate change? This question is particular pressing in an era of anti-science sentiment, post-truth politics and increasingly polarised discussions about the adequate responses to a changing climate.

This revised and extended second edition revisits the shifting political landscapes of the U.S. and Germany—from the rise of Trumpism to the AfD’s growing influence—to examine how environmental think tanks navigate changing knowledge regimes. Updated with new empirical material, expanded case studies and new chapters that cover transformative shifts in the US and Germany, it offers fresh insights into the role of expertise in climate politics at a time when “facts” themselves are up for debate. 

Alexander Ruser is Professor of Sociology at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, and Director of the Centre for Digital Transformation (CeDiT), University of Agder, Norway.