Co-Chair: Sonja Solomun, McGill University
Co-Chair: Robin Tschötschel, Universität Hamburg
Mission Statement
From states to emissions-dependent industries to nuanced denial networks, climate obstruction manifests and is mobilized through various mechanisms. Similarly, a wide group of actors from civil society over media organizations to state actors are working to overcome climate obstruction.
The mission of the Overcoming Obstruction working group is to identify, understand and promote effective strategies, tools and possibilities to overcome climate obstruction across different sectors and scales, bridging scholarship on obstruction with research focused on advancing a just transition.
The working group brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars working on the social, political, and economic aspects of obstruction to develop, collect, and share knowledge about diverse strategies and efforts to counteract obstruction.
Preliminary/ Potential Objectives of the Overcoming Obstruction Working Group:
- Collecting and synthesizing knowledge from across other CSSN working groups about how to overcome the types of obstruction they study (possibly through a member survey on key steps/actions/pathways for overcoming climate obstruction within their respective fields)
- Conducting and facilitating original research on overcoming obstruction as well as the relationships between different entities working to overcome obstruction
- Promoting collaboration among scholars and practitioners conducting research and/or working to counter obstruction in different sectors and fields (e.g. the Climate Action Against Disinformation Network)
- Maintaining links and facilitating collaboration and joint initiatives with other cognate research networks that might benefit from the working group (e.g. The Sustainable Transitions Research Network)
- Translating and sharing knowledge about how to overcome climate obstruction with other research networks and non-academic actors including community groups, civil society actors and/or journalists
- Developing policy recommendations for different actors on overcoming obstruction
Photo by Tom Fisk / Pexels