Climate Change: Why Do Social Sciences Matter?

New short film highlights the significance of the social sciences in the addressing the climate emergency

In this 5-minute film, Professor of Political Sociology, Stephen Fisher joins researchers from the Smith School of Enterprise & Environment and PEAK Urban project to to highlight the key role social scientists must play in addressing critical, climate-related challenges, from understanding how people feel about climate change, what they want to have done about climate change through to how they can resolve the problems arising from climate change. 

 

"The social sciences are key to solving climate change, because climate change is embedded in everything that we do."

 

 

LATEST NEWS

Graphic of AI

National context shapes AI’s transformation of sociology

Image of two men embracing

Study finds sexual role identities among gay and bisexual men vary by age and region

Image of Ozan Aksoy and Aron Szekely at the 2026 INAS Conference

Ozan Aksoy wins 2026 Robert K. Merton Award from International Network of Analytical Sociologists

Image of Dakota J Betts at their undergrad graduation

MSc Student Spotlight: J Betts

.grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.listing-item-wrapper.item-style-row_without_separator_square, .grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.listing-item-wrapper.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image { border-bottom: solid 1px #182541; padding-bottom: 18px; } p { margin: 0 0 20px; } .wrapper-main h2, .wrapper-main h3, .wrapper-main h4, .wrapper-main h5, .wrapper-main h6 { color: #182541; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-row.item-style-row_without_separator_square .listing-item-info-box-wrapper { display: none; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-tile .listing-item-pub-date { font-style: normal; display: none; } .wrapper-main ul.nav-tabs { margin-bottom: 30px; } .nav-tabs > li.active > a::after { content: "\f0d7"; font-family: "Font Awesome 5 Free Solid","Font Awesome 5 Free","FontAwesome" !important; font-weight: 900; position: absolute; bottom: -25px; left: 40%; color: #182541; font-size: 1.65em; } .nav-tabs > li > a:hover::after { content: "\f0d7"; bottom: -25px; left: 40%; color: #182541; font-size: 1.65em; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper .text-box .text-box-row-2, .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper .text-box .text-box-row-1 { width: 100% !important; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper { width: 33%; } .fa-chevron-circle-right::before { content: "\f0da"; font-size: 0.75em; } body.chevron-right :not(.item-style-grouping-card) .hvr-icon-grow::before { content: "\f0da"; } .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing article.listing-list-style { background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid; } .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing .views-row-even article.listing-list-style, .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing article.listing-list-style :hover, .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing .views-row-odd article.listing-list-style { background-color: white; } .oxdrupal-symplectic-publications-list-item.listing-list-style { padding: 20px 0; } article.listing-list-style .list-style-title h3 p { font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: 600; color: #182541; margin-bottom: 20px} .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing article.listing-list-style { font-weight: 300; } .list-style-symplectic-publication-parent-title { color: #e6006b; } .grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.item-style-feed_twitter_full { margin-bottom: 20px; } .tweet-media { display: none; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-row.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image .listing-item-info-box-wrapper { display: none; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image .text-box-wrapper .text-box-and-chevron-wrapper .text-wrapper { padding-left: 0px; }
.grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.listing-item-wrapper.item-style-row_without_separator_square, .grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.listing-item-wrapper.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image { border-bottom: solid 1px #182541; padding-bottom: 18px; } p { margin: 0 0 20px; } .wrapper-main h2, .wrapper-main h3, .wrapper-main h4, .wrapper-main h5, .wrapper-main h6 { color: #182541; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-row.item-style-row_without_separator_square .listing-item-info-box-wrapper { display: none; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-tile .listing-item-pub-date { font-style: normal; display: none; } .wrapper-main ul.nav-tabs { margin-bottom: 30px; } .nav-tabs > li.active > a::after { content: "\f0d7"; font-family: "Font Awesome 5 Free Solid","Font Awesome 5 Free","FontAwesome" !important; font-weight: 900; position: absolute; bottom: -25px; left: 40%; color: #182541; font-size: 1.65em; } .nav-tabs > li > a:hover::after { content: "\f0d7"; bottom: -25px; left: 40%; color: #182541; font-size: 1.65em; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper .text-box .text-box-row-2, .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper .text-box .text-box-row-1 { width: 100% !important; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-landscape_textoverlay_left_bottom .text-box-wrapper { width: 33%; } .fa-chevron-circle-right::before { content: "\f0da"; font-size: 0.75em; } body.chevron-right :not(.item-style-grouping-card) .hvr-icon-grow::before { content: "\f0da"; } .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing article.listing-list-style { background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid; } .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing .views-row-even article.listing-list-style, .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing article.listing-list-style :hover, .wrapper-main .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing .publication-listing .views-row-odd article.listing-list-style { background-color: white; } .oxdrupal-symplectic-publications-list-item.listing-list-style { padding: 20px 0; } article.listing-list-style .list-style-title h3 p { font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: 600; color: #182541; margin-bottom: 20px} .paragraphs-item-symplectic-publications-listing article.listing-list-style { font-weight: 300; } .list-style-symplectic-publication-parent-title { color: #e6006b; } .grid-listing .listing-item-wrapper.display-style-list.item-style-feed_twitter_full { margin-bottom: 20px; } .tweet-media { display: none; } div.listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-grouping-row.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image .listing-item-info-box-wrapper { display: none; } .listing-item-wrapper article.listing-item.item-style-row_without_separator_no_image .text-box-wrapper .text-box-and-chevron-wrapper .text-wrapper { padding-left: 0px; }