Benjamin Sovacool

Prof. Benjamin Sovacool speaking at the Bennett Institute Symposium 2026

🎥 New Video Series from Prof. @sovacool.bsky.social breaking down complex issues in today’s energy landscape. Debunking myths, Inequality, Future, Justice, & 3 things you need to know about energy.
🔗 Find the video links on our LinkedIn page: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
@sussex.ac.uk

Bringing Cleaner Air to Boston Homes—One Stove at a Time Boston University researchers have been partnering with the city to replace gas stoves with electric induction alternatives and measure the effect on air quality

Gas stoves can degrade indoor air quality. For the past year, researchers including @jonlevybu.bsky.social have been partnering with the city of Boston on a program to replace gas stoves with electric. The team is also studying how indoor air quality differs before and after replacement.

Can behavioural and policy changes address climate change in more equitable ways? Prof. Sovacool's research looks into how inequities exacerbate climate injustice, causing some groups to be more affected by the physical impacts of climate change.

Minds that move the world. Prof. Sovacool is a Highly Cited Researcher 2025 - recognised for the significant and broad influence in his field of research.

Can the transition to a sustainable, biodiverse world be fair and global? How Highly Cited Researchers contribute to societal impact

Meet Dr. Benjamin Sovacool, Professor at the University of Sussex Business School. His research is driven by a deep desire to fight energy and climate injustice.

@sovacool.bsky.social, Bennett Director, was recently named one of Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers 2025. Here he explains why social science is essential to solving the climate crisis and how achieving research with impact requires four things: ow.ly/24vR50YciII
@sussexunibusiness.bsky.social

Regional Projections of the Impacts of Future Urbanization and Climate Change on Biogeochemical Cycles in New England Landscapes | Research Human activities have had complex, long-term impacts on forest function across New England—a trend expected to continue. To assess these impacts, we conducted a regional-scale modeling study using the...

🌳 The northeastern US #forest plays a critical role in the broader region's water, carbon & nutrient cycles. Human activities, including #deforestation, #agriculture, and #urbanization, have reduced forest cover. A new study helps illuminate potential effects on regional #biogeochemical cycles. 🔄

Many people assume solar PV degrades quickly. Long-term evidence suggests otherwise.

This paper in EES Solar uses rare multi-decade field data to show that PV systems can retain a high share of their initial performance after 30 years, with lower degradation than often assumed.

Link in comments.

Stories - The Bennett Institute Award-winning SPRU MSc student Rafael Lopez joined the Bennett for a dissertation on sustainable macroeconomic strategies in small island economies.

'Bridging academia & practice showed me how policy research can drive real-world impact' 🌍 MSc in Sustainable Development student Rafael joined us as a Research Assistant whilst at @sussexunibusiness.bsky.social - a highlight of his degree & defining chapter of his journey tinyurl.com/w3wte9jk

Stories - The Bennett Institute

@sovacool.bsky.social breaks down what the latest @ipcc.bsky.social findings really mean: energy transition is achievable, but only if we tackle political barriers & centre communities. Brighton & Hove Energy Services Co-op shows how local action can accelerate climate goals.
tinyurl.com/2s46tmby

Accelerating global city commitments and actions on climate change As national-focused orthodoxy in climate policy has proven insufficient to address the climate crisis, a shift to a multilevel framework is needed, ce…

In this new analysis, Ben Leffel + @sovacool.bsky.social argue that, "as national-focused orthodoxy in climate policy has proven insufficient to address the climate crisis, a shift is needed, centering cities as pivotal actors in global climate mitigation" -- and I COULD NOT AGREE MORE.

Read here:

RSVP: Wind Energy and Birds Join ABC and the Climate Institute's webinar on 1/29

FREE webinar Thursday 🐦 Discover strategies to develop wind energy with birds in mind. IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social & other experts in wildlife conservation and renewable energy will discuss real experiences from successful wind energy projects in South America.
abcbirds.org/wind-webinar

Cities need an integrated and holistic approach to health adaptation in climate planning - Nature Cities Most cities lack comprehensive health adaptation strategies in climate planning, with no global plans achieving fully integrated holistic approaches. City climate adaptation plans show the awareness o...

Climate change is a growing health threat, yet only 6 of 55 cities meaningfully include health in climate plans. Research calls for stronger, clearer and more equitable health‑adaptation strategies. tinyurl.com/2t7aw2a2
doi.org/10.1038/s44284-025-00364-1 @sovacool.bsky.social

Looking forward to speaking at @bennett-innovate.bsky.social 2026 symposium on economics & energy - looks like it will be a lively debate!

Register: bennettinstitutesussex.org/stories/2026...

@sovacool.bsky.social

From waste to fuel: Uncovering the drivers of garbage and plastic burning in Northwest Nigeria Anecdotal evidence indicates that energy-poor households in regions lacking formal waste management systems often resort to burning garbage, including…

Our descriptive analysis on the use of garbage and plastic as household fuel in NW Nigeria

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

@sovacool.bsky.social @efdinitiative.bsky.social

#plastic #energy

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse, says expert

Era of ‘global water bankruptcy’ is here, UN report says
Overuse and pollution must end urgently as no one knows when whole system might collapse
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Brink Bites: BU Expert to Help Lead UN Climate Report, Undergraduates Study Secrets of the Universe Other research news, stories, and tidbits from around BU, including prestigious physics and health awards for researchers

Spotted in this month's "Brink Bites" research roundup: The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has selected IGS Director Benjamin Sovacool (@sovacool.bsky.social) to help lead its next report. Learn more & get involved ⬇️

Stories - The Bennett Institute Announcing the Bennett Institute's 2026 Symposium, register now

The 2026 Bennett Institute Annual Symposium will be held on 19 February at Bramber House.

Staff and students are welcome, and the event is free!

Learn more and Register here: https://bit.ly/4qEZrv8

#BennettSymposium #NetZero #EnergyPolicy #SussexResearch

Welcome to Kenya’s Great Carbon Valley: a bold new gamble to fight climate change One project aims to harness local geothermal resources to pull CO2 from the air. Will it prove that carbon removal can really help our warming planet?

Direct Air Capture (DAC) has immense potential, but it's also expensive and unproven at scale.

“If we’re able to do DAC at scale, it could be the next huge energy transition," @sovacool.bsky.social tells @technologyreview.com regarding an ambitious new #DAC project in Kenya.

When women lead,
☮️Peace lasts 10-25 years longer

www.unwomen.org/en/news-stor...

4 pillars
align gender equality & peace

1 Prevent conflict

2 Protect rights/safety
of women & girls

3 Participate
All decisions re: peace & security, from local to intl,
include women

4 Relief/recovery

When people argue that renewable energy sources are too expensive, remember that we don’t invade countries to seize wind farms and there are no solar cartels. Fossil fuels have enormous geopolitical, public health, and climate externalities.

Too soon?

A technician in a neon vest and hard hat wipes down a mirrored surface.

Two researchers converse. One holds an open notebook.

A new case study based in Sierra Leone highlights Mirrors for Earth’s Energy Rebalancing (MEER), a novel intervention to #ExtremeHeat. By IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social:
spr.ly/63321Cui6f

Ecosystem of Systematic Reviews on Carbon Dioxide Removal We are thrilled to share that the first paper in the Ecosystem of Systematic Reviews on Carbon Dioxide Removal has just been published, focusing on Direct Air CO2 Capture and Storage (DACCS).

A new comprehensive review on direct air CO2 capture and storage is the result of more than 2.5 years of work by 29 international experts, including IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social: spr.ly/63322Cu3Du

Don’t let US go to war over⛽️Oil…

Hmm, one more reason
to vote 🗳️🔵for #Climate

&
switch to #Solar

Headshot of Benjamin Sovacool.

Congrats IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social on three major 2025 research citation honors!
Stanford's list of "World's Top 2%" scientists: spr.ly/63320CuXAO
ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholars: spr.ly/63323CuXAR
Clarivate's Highly Cited Researchers: spr.ly/63325CuXAT

A large group of climate scientists at the IPCC Lead Authors Meeting.

Over 600 top climate scholars from 100+ countries gathered in Paris to start the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), including IGS Director/Coordinating Lead Author @sovacool.bsky.social. AR7 findings start in 2028, with the final report in 2029. spr.ly/63325CuzXR

Guardians of the Wild | Windows to the Wild Host Willem Lange shares stories of people who have found incredible ways to protect nature. You'll meet a 15 year-old who save orangutans in the rainforest of Indonesia. We dive into the lakes of NH to salvage sunken wrecks, and then witness the efforts to restore oysters to Great Bay.

#DYK an oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water in a day? 🦪🌊 These ecosystem engineers help coastal environments thrive, but ~85% of the Earth's oyster reefs have been lost. More from @nhpbs.bsky.social feat. @wallyfulweiler.bsky.social: spr.ly/63321CMiuH

In new book, a Brookline author and professor calls out ads disguised as news - Brookline.News Brookline author Michelle Amazeen turns a critical eye in her new book to an increasingly common form of advertising that resembles news articles and can confuse readers.

📚@brooklinenews.bsky.social reports on our recent book talk with Michelle Amazeen (@commscholar.bsky.social). Her new boook "Content Confusion" offers a deep dive into the practice of native advertising and #climate #disinformation.

Read the full story ⬇️

📣 #IPCC is calling for the nominations of authors for the Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage!

Find out more 👉 https://www.ipcc.ch/2025/11/19/calltficdrccus/

Submissions close 12 December 2025

Headshot of Benjamin Sovacool with quote from article.

#AI helps track droughts and support disaster relief — but the same tools are now used by militaries for both climate solutions and as weapons. @foreignpolicy.com explores these blurred ethical lines, with insight from IGS Director @sovacool.bsky.social. More: spr.ly/6332372oyU