Benjamin Sovacool

Group of students smiling on grand staircase.

Students on a tour of the MA statehouse.

Students on a tour of the MA statehouse.

IGS supports our rising #sustainability experts in recognizing the #policy implications of their #research. Recently, our IGS #GradStudent Summer Fellows met up with the Pardee Center Summer fellows for a tour of the MA State House, followed by lunch and networking between the two groups. 🤝

Samuel L. Jackson stars in a new Vattenfall ad for wind power, countering Trump's nonsense tirades against "windmills".

Sorry those projections use the “cold models” that have lost all credibility.

The “hot models” that have been far more accurate show warming closer to 0.4C per decade *at the moment*. That rate is accelerating and could reach 0.5C per decade by 2030.

2C is likely to be crossed between 2034-39.

Why Geothermal Energy Is Garnering So Much Attention | OilPrice.com Geothermal energy is emerging as a critical clean energy source, with new technological approaches like advanced drilling and nuclear fusion-based methods aiming to tap into the Earth's vast heat for ...

Geothermal energy holds massive potential to disrupt global energy markets and provide nearly limitless and constant clean energy.'
oilprice.com/Alternative-...

BP agrees to sell US onshore wind business as it shifts back to oil Company to sell business for undisclosed sum to LS Power as part of plan to offload $20bn in assets

Death cult does its thing.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

The big emitters: which countries are holding back climate action and why? Ahead of Cop30, the Guardian will profile each of the top 10 emitters and their plans – good or bad – to tackle emissions

The big emitters: which countries are holding back climate action and why?
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

New York City subway stations and trains flooded on Monday night as slow-moving thunderstorms hit the Northeast.

More than 2 inches of rain fell in one hour between 7 and 8pm. bit.ly/3TBnUDk

France and Switzerland shut down nuclear power plants due to heatwave To cool down, nuclear power plants pump water from local rivers or the sea, which they then release back into water bodies at a higher temperature. However, this process can threaten local biodiversit...

True - nuclear capacity factors are zero when there is a heat wave…

Happy to have had the opportunity to take a larger view of our research to date on public perceptions of #SRM for the #GENIE project.

Thanks to @srm360.bsky.social for the invitation!

Expert panel to put science and tech at the heart of clean power A new Science and Technology Advisory Council has been set up, to provide expert advice.

Benjamin Sovacool @sovacool.bsky.social named as one of a group of prestigious scientific leaders appointed to the Department of Energy Security & Net Zero’s, Science and Technology Advisory Council.

See the full story www.gov.uk/government/n...

Sweating for Science: SPH Measures Heat Where Bostonians Work, Play, and Live As the summer heat intensifies in Boston, teams of SPH researchers have deployed a variety of sensors across the city to assess heat exposure among vulnerable residents and evaluate cooling interventi...

Researchers are placing sensors across Boston workplaces, childcare centers, and outdoor shade structures. The goal? To better measure heat exposure in vulnerable Bostonians & evaluate #cooling interventions. Feat. patriciafabian.bsky.social & mscammell.bsky.social: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...

🌍🍽 1/3 of all food is produced globally by weight is lost or wasted between farm and fork — while 1 in 10 go hungry.

Delve into the scope of this challenge and the global benefits of reducing food loss and waste👉 go.wri.org/foodwaste

#WRIExplains

Figure 1. Network graph of global GIS faculty placement (n=946). Nodes represent universities, color-coded by country. Node size reflects the number of faculty produced, while edge thickness indicates the number of faculty movement between universities.

Figure 2. Faculty Hiring Networks in North America. The figure shows all GIS faculty currently employed in North American institutions and indicates whether their doctoral training was obtained in North American countries or other countries.

Where are #GIScience faculty hired from? The following Perspective, by Yanbing Chen and Yuhao Kang, is drawn from a paper currently under review and supported by the CaGIS Rising Award and the GISphere project, which summarizes over 400 #GIS programs and faculty information globally. buff.ly/RVBzfX5

OBR: Net-zero is much cheaper than thought for UK – and unchecked global warming far more costly - Carbon Brief Reaching net-zero will be much cheaper for the UK government than previously expected – and the economic damages of climate change far more severe.

Net-zero is much cheaper than thought for UK – and unchecked global warming far more costly www.carbonbrief.org/obr-net-zero...

The impact of air conditioning on residential electricity consumption across world countries We provide a first globally-relevant assessment of the electricity consumption consequences of households’ adaptation to ambient heat through air cond…

Air conditioning ownership increases households’ electricity consumption by 36%, on average, according to a new study co-authored by Ian Sue Wing (buearth.bsky.social), and demand is likely to increase on a #warming planet: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Solar company accused of stashing cultural artifacts in Calif. storage facility One particular green energy project has been mired in controversy for years.

@sfgate.com reports on a recent IGS study (led by @sovacool.bsky.social) revealing patterns of corruption in the California solar market: "researchers say it could shine a light on other concerning patterns throughout the entire country’s renewable energy industry..." www.sfgate.com/bayarea/arti...

Navigating reconfiguration and systems disruption: Decarbonization pathways for UK industrial clusters Industrial decarbonization is not a linear transition but a contested process of meta-system transformation, shaped by the interplay of system reconfi…

A new study in Energy by @sovacool.bsky.social uses 111 stakeholder interviews to reveal how heavy #industrial #decarbonization is unfolding across UK infrastructures, markets, and governance: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Happy to have been invited to share some thoughts here drawing on our research on public perceptions from the #GENIE and #ELEVATE projects (w/ @sovacool.bsky.social @liviafritz.bsky.social)

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe – major report False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalised

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says.

False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalized.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Glass bottles found to contain more microplastics than plastic bottles Drinks including water, soda, beer and wine sold in glass bottles contain more microplastics than those in plastic bottles, according to a surprising study released by France's food safety agency Frid...

phys.org/news/2025-06...

Norway Is All In on Electric Cars. What Can the U.S. Learn? Norway's crusade to eliminate gasoline powered cars was years in the making. Can that achievement be replicated?

“Norway is the undisputed king of electric vehicles,” IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social tells @rodmccullom.bsky.social of undark.org. Almost 90% of cars sold in Norway in 2024 were fully #electric. There's a lot the US could learn: undark.org/2025/06/09/n...

Introduction to the Bennett Institute: Tackling the Climate Crisis through Innovation & Policy This seminar will introduce you to the newly formed Bennett Institute for Innovation and Policy Acceleration

Did you miss our launch event in February?
Why not join us for our Summer of Research event "Tackling the Climate Crisis through Innovation and Policy at the University of Sussex on the 18th June
www.sussex.ac.uk/research/abo...

How do communities on the frontlines of climate adaptation and mitigation mobilize to confront climate challenges, in context of other challenges?

Very pleased to participate in a seminar at Harvard Massachusetts discussing this and other important questions. Benjamin Sovacool @sovacool.bsky.social

#decarbonisation #netzero #industrialinnovation #sustainability… | Mercedes Maroto-Valer 🌟IDRICs Frontiers Report ‘Public Perceptions & Just Transitions’. A must-read for anyone championing inclusive, equitable, and locally grounded industrial decarbonisation🌟 📖Based on 10 IDRIC rese...

Great to see this fantastic new report out: www.linkedin.com/posts/mm-v_d...

New nuclear would be too late and too costly | Letter Letter: Dr Paul Dorfman is sceptical about the new nuclear renaissance

New #nuclear 'Renaissance' go the same way as the last one, 20 years ago.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Astonishing and truly sad.
The smoke is even reaching Europe.

Parenting in the climate crisis: how to raise kids who care about the environment From acknowledging big emotions to finding ways to make climate action fun, it’s important to start where your kids are

Parenting in the climate crisis: how to raise kids who care about the environment
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

New nuclear would be too late and too costly | Letter Letter: Dr Paul Dorfman is sceptical about the new nuclear renaissance

"New nuclear would be much too late and far too costly for the climate and energy crises" - @drpauldorfman.bsky.social's letter to The Guardian highlights the facts
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
#Renewables #Nuclear #ClimateChange

California’s Solar Market Faces Seven Forms of Corruption—Including “Sex for Solar” California is the nation’s top producer of solar energy. A new study by IGS researchers in Energy Strategy Reviews reveals a dark side to the state’s breakneck rollout, and proposes reforms. Story in post.

A new IGS study finds that California's solar market faces 7 forms of corruption—including “sex for solar.” Led by
@sovacool.bsky.social & @drxdunlap.bsky.social, it provides a first-time look at patterns of public and private sector #corruption. Full story: www.bu.edu/igs/2025/06/...