Malcolm Fairbrother
@mfair.bsky.social
Prof. of environmental and political sociology. Sweden-based (Uppsala Uni + Institute for Futures Studies), formerly Canada, U.S., Mexico, UK. Decoupling, public opinion, learning from successes, modeling emissions. And political trust. www.fairbrother.org
January 20, 2026 at 10:53 AM
This seems like good, or at least surprisingly relevant, food for thought these days….
Military personnel
Number of troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of 1 January of the given year.
ourworldindata.org
January 18, 2026 at 11:00 PM
This seems like good, or at least surprisingly relevant, food for thought these days….
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland.
They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
January 17, 2026 at 5:36 PM
More than 200,000 Danish citizens have signed a petition to buy California as a response to Trump’s attempt to take Greenland.
They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
They say they will provide Californians with “rule of law, universal health care, fact-based politics, and a lifetime supply of Danish pastries.”
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
Out now:
*A Research Agenda for Political Trust*
This excellent collection of papers points out future directions for political trust research: the unanswered questions, problems, promising theoretical pathways, and methodological innovations.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
And: it's open access!
*A Research Agenda for Political Trust*
This excellent collection of papers points out future directions for political trust research: the unanswered questions, problems, promising theoretical pathways, and methodological innovations.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
And: it's open access!
A Research Agenda for Political Trust
‘Low trust in government provides the fuel for democratic backsliding. There is no more important topic for scholars to confront. This volume is invaluable because it provides important insights on tr...
www.e-elgar.com
January 9, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Out now:
*A Research Agenda for Political Trust*
This excellent collection of papers points out future directions for political trust research: the unanswered questions, problems, promising theoretical pathways, and methodological innovations.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
And: it's open access!
*A Research Agenda for Political Trust*
This excellent collection of papers points out future directions for political trust research: the unanswered questions, problems, promising theoretical pathways, and methodological innovations.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
And: it's open access!
This.
Retailers, please take note!
Retailers, please take note!
The hill I will die on: Online shops, please I beg – stop with endless post-purchase emails | Athena Kugblenu
You really want me to review my buy? Yes, it was fine. But that is where I would like our relationship to end, says comedian Athena Kugblenu
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 7:14 PM
This.
Retailers, please take note!
Retailers, please take note!
Possibly the best part of this:
"The analysis in this report excludes those Member States with low heating demand or no fossil fuel consumption in domestic heating. Therefore this analysis excludes Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden."
EVEN COLD COUNTRIES DON'T NEED FFs!
"The analysis in this report excludes those Member States with low heating demand or no fossil fuel consumption in domestic heating. Therefore this analysis excludes Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden."
EVEN COLD COUNTRIES DON'T NEED FFs!
Plugging heat in: smart policy can help electrify household heating in Europe - Ember
Plugging heat in: smart policy can help electrify household heating in Europe | Ember
Heat pumps can slash EU fossil fuel imports, protect consumers from price shocks and boost local industry, but wider use depends on making them cost competitive with fossil heating.
ember-energy.org
December 17, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Possibly the best part of this:
"The analysis in this report excludes those Member States with low heating demand or no fossil fuel consumption in domestic heating. Therefore this analysis excludes Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden."
EVEN COLD COUNTRIES DON'T NEED FFs!
"The analysis in this report excludes those Member States with low heating demand or no fossil fuel consumption in domestic heating. Therefore this analysis excludes Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain and Sweden."
EVEN COLD COUNTRIES DON'T NEED FFs!
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
New research in environmental sociology by @mfair.bsky.social and colleagues. The study shows that public support for national climate policies increases when people perceive stronger climate action by other countries (“They Reduce, We Reduce”) journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies
As public support influences policy choices, it is crucial to understand how people view climate policies. Based on the premise that individuals tend to be conditional cooperators, we derived the “The...
journals.plos.org
December 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM
New research in environmental sociology by @mfair.bsky.social and colleagues. The study shows that public support for national climate policies increases when people perceive stronger climate action by other countries (“They Reduce, We Reduce”) journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
December 12, 2025 at 12:32 PM
It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
New research by Kim-Pong Tam, Susumu Ohnuma, @mfair.bsky.social and Hoi-Wing Chan published in PLOS Climate:
"They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies"
🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
"They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies"
🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies
As public support influences policy choices, it is crucial to understand how people view climate policies. Based on the premise that individuals tend to be conditional cooperators, we derived the “The...
journals.plos.org
December 11, 2025 at 9:11 AM
New research by Kim-Pong Tam, Susumu Ohnuma, @mfair.bsky.social and Hoi-Wing Chan published in PLOS Climate:
"They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies"
🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
"They reduce, we reduce: Perception of other countries’ climate effort predicts support for climate policies"
🔗 journals.plos.org/climate/arti...
Actual footage of Canadian policymakers as they grapple with the challenge of global climate change.
Here in Europe, where I live, there's a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, they're rushing to build new pipelines. What an embarrassment.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Here in Europe, where I live, there's a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, they're rushing to build new pipelines. What an embarrassment.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
November 28, 2025 at 6:33 AM
Actual footage of Canadian policymakers as they grapple with the challenge of global climate change.
Here in Europe, where I live, there's a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, they're rushing to build new pipelines. What an embarrassment.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Here in Europe, where I live, there's a serious effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In Canada, they're rushing to build new pipelines. What an embarrassment.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Let's hope they pull this off, on schedule (at least approximately). Cutting rail travel times across Europe would be great.
Well done Commissioners for focusing on this!
Well done Commissioners for focusing on this!
Commission launches plan to accelerate high-speed rail across Europe
The Commission unveiled a comprehensive plan to accelerate the development of high-speed rail across the EU, offering passengers significantly reduced travel times.
transport.ec.europa.eu
November 27, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Let's hope they pull this off, on schedule (at least approximately). Cutting rail travel times across Europe would be great.
Well done Commissioners for focusing on this!
Well done Commissioners for focusing on this!
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
Instead of banning the use of the name “veggie burger”, the world would be a better place if meat burgers were banned. 🙃
Ban on veggie ‘burgers’: plant-based products may lose meaty names in UK under EU law
Exclusive: Trade agreement means UK is subject to some food labelling rules, with vote on vegetarian food terms this week
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Instead of banning the use of the name “veggie burger”, the world would be a better place if meat burgers were banned. 🙃
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
November 19, 2025 at 9:48 PM
I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.
New publication!
Marcus Aronsson and I build on an earlier theoretical argument by Rachael Shwom. How can we reconcile claims that capitalism is unavoidably unsustainable ("Treadmill of Production") with evidence of some environmental successes ("Ecological Modernization")?
(1/3)
Marcus Aronsson and I build on an earlier theoretical argument by Rachael Shwom. How can we reconcile claims that capitalism is unavoidably unsustainable ("Treadmill of Production") with evidence of some environmental successes ("Ecological Modernization")?
(1/3)
Conditions for environmental success: dioxin pollution, the swedish pulp and paper industry, and a middle-range theory
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Conditions for environmental success: dioxin pollution, the swedish pulp and paper industry, and a middle-range theory
rdcu.be
November 19, 2025 at 12:59 PM
New publication!
Marcus Aronsson and I build on an earlier theoretical argument by Rachael Shwom. How can we reconcile claims that capitalism is unavoidably unsustainable ("Treadmill of Production") with evidence of some environmental successes ("Ecological Modernization")?
(1/3)
Marcus Aronsson and I build on an earlier theoretical argument by Rachael Shwom. How can we reconcile claims that capitalism is unavoidably unsustainable ("Treadmill of Production") with evidence of some environmental successes ("Ecological Modernization")?
(1/3)
Alarming news/perspective for many social scientists here.
AI presents a fundamental threat to our ability to use polls to assess public opinion. Bad actors who are able to infiltrate panels can flip close election polls for less than the cost of a Starbucks coffee. Models will also infer and confirm hypotheses in experiments. Current quality checks fail
November 19, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Alarming news/perspective for many social scientists here.
In Canada, Carney's gov passed its budget, and avoided a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, by just a couple votes.
One thing that helped: Promising the one Green MP to meet Canada's Paris commitment to reduce emissions 40% by 2030.
But Canada is way off track for that.
So what's Carney's plan?
One thing that helped: Promising the one Green MP to meet Canada's Paris commitment to reduce emissions 40% by 2030.
But Canada is way off track for that.
So what's Carney's plan?
November 18, 2025 at 7:28 AM
In Canada, Carney's gov passed its budget, and avoided a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, by just a couple votes.
One thing that helped: Promising the one Green MP to meet Canada's Paris commitment to reduce emissions 40% by 2030.
But Canada is way off track for that.
So what's Carney's plan?
One thing that helped: Promising the one Green MP to meet Canada's Paris commitment to reduce emissions 40% by 2030.
But Canada is way off track for that.
So what's Carney's plan?
Academics: How do you relate to MDPI journals? I know they (at least some) publish real research. People I know have papers in them.
But given the aggressive e-mails they regularly send me, pressuring me to edit special issues, I consider them semi-predatory.
So I act like they don't exist.
Fair?
But given the aggressive e-mails they regularly send me, pressuring me to edit special issues, I consider them semi-predatory.
So I act like they don't exist.
Fair?
November 12, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Academics: How do you relate to MDPI journals? I know they (at least some) publish real research. People I know have papers in them.
But given the aggressive e-mails they regularly send me, pressuring me to edit special issues, I consider them semi-predatory.
So I act like they don't exist.
Fair?
But given the aggressive e-mails they regularly send me, pressuring me to edit special issues, I consider them semi-predatory.
So I act like they don't exist.
Fair?
Take:
One part chronic Canadian mismanagement of the global treasure that is its old growth forests.
One part bizarro British incentives (weirdly justified as "green") to make electricity out of wood.
Mix and expect... what exactly?
One part chronic Canadian mismanagement of the global treasure that is its old growth forests.
One part bizarro British incentives (weirdly justified as "green") to make electricity out of wood.
Mix and expect... what exactly?
Drax still burning 250-year-old trees sourced from forests in Canada, experts say
Exclusive: report by Stand.earth says subsidiary of power plant received truckloads of whole logs at biomass pellet sites
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:08 PM
Take:
One part chronic Canadian mismanagement of the global treasure that is its old growth forests.
One part bizarro British incentives (weirdly justified as "green") to make electricity out of wood.
Mix and expect... what exactly?
One part chronic Canadian mismanagement of the global treasure that is its old growth forests.
One part bizarro British incentives (weirdly justified as "green") to make electricity out of wood.
Mix and expect... what exactly?
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
Happy to share the call for Abstracts for the 17th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference (NESS2026)
🗓 9–11 June 2026, Uppsala, Sweden
🔗 Abstract submission open until 8 December 2025
Read workshop descriptions and submit via the online system:
www.ness2026.se
🗓 9–11 June 2026, Uppsala, Sweden
🔗 Abstract submission open until 8 December 2025
Read workshop descriptions and submit via the online system:
www.ness2026.se
www.ness2026.se
November 7, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Happy to share the call for Abstracts for the 17th Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference (NESS2026)
🗓 9–11 June 2026, Uppsala, Sweden
🔗 Abstract submission open until 8 December 2025
Read workshop descriptions and submit via the online system:
www.ness2026.se
🗓 9–11 June 2026, Uppsala, Sweden
🔗 Abstract submission open until 8 December 2025
Read workshop descriptions and submit via the online system:
www.ness2026.se
Vile.
The thing for all the countries supporting this (which is most) to do is: Go ahead and impose the fees. And charge non-signatories’ vessels a higher fee, if they want access to signatories’ ports.
The thing for all the countries supporting this (which is most) to do is: Go ahead and impose the fees. And charge non-signatories’ vessels a higher fee, if they want access to signatories’ ports.
Trump Officials Accused of Bullying Tactics to Kill a Climate Measure
www.nytimes.com
November 7, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Vile.
The thing for all the countries supporting this (which is most) to do is: Go ahead and impose the fees. And charge non-signatories’ vessels a higher fee, if they want access to signatories’ ports.
The thing for all the countries supporting this (which is most) to do is: Go ahead and impose the fees. And charge non-signatories’ vessels a higher fee, if they want access to signatories’ ports.
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
I would install each and all of them #AcademicChatter
November 7, 2025 at 7:50 AM
I would install each and all of them #AcademicChatter
The cynicism and immorality of the fossil fuel industry's (above all Exxon's) efforts to prevent the world from addressing climate change can still take my breath away.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Exxon funded thinktanks to spread climate denial in Latin America, documents reveal
Texas-based fossil fuel company financed Atlas Network in attempt to derail UN-led climate treaty process
www.theguardian.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:58 AM
The cynicism and immorality of the fossil fuel industry's (above all Exxon's) efforts to prevent the world from addressing climate change can still take my breath away.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
OTD - October 21, 1985 - A rogue US scientist illegally obtains a quantity of plutonium through a Libyan-backed terrorist organization on the promise of assisting in manufacturing a nuclear device. Dr. Emmett Brown however intended to use the plutonium as part of a scientific experiment involving
October 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM
OTD - October 21, 1985 - A rogue US scientist illegally obtains a quantity of plutonium through a Libyan-backed terrorist organization on the promise of assisting in manufacturing a nuclear device. Dr. Emmett Brown however intended to use the plutonium as part of a scientific experiment involving
Reposted by Malcolm Fairbrother
Although not yet available to read (January 2026!), very happy to see our book on political trust online. Co-edited with @mfair.bsky.social and available open access, we think it'll be a useful addition to the field.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
October 20, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Although not yet available to read (January 2026!), very happy to see our book on political trust online. Co-edited with @mfair.bsky.social and available open access, we think it'll be a useful addition to the field.
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...
www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/a-r...