{"id":28810,"date":"2021-03-29T13:08:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T17:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/polisci\/?post_type=cu_people&p=28810"},"modified":"2026-02-23T13:25:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T18:25:21","slug":"meadowcroft-james","status":"publish","type":"cu_people","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/polisci\/people\/meadowcroft-james\/","title":{"rendered":"James Meadowcroft"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Brief Biography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

James Meadowcroft is a Professor in both the Department of Political Science and the School of Public Policy and Administration. He recently completed a 14-year term as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development. Meadowcroft has written widely on environmental politics and policy, democratic participation and deliberative democracy, national sustainable development strategies, and socio-technical transitions. Recent work focuses on energy and the transition to a low carbon society and includes publications on carbon capture and storage (CCS), smart grids, the development of Ontario\u2019s electricity system, the politics of socio-technical transitions, and negative carbon emissions. Meadowcroft\u2019s research has been funded by the UK ERSC, SSHRC, NSERC, the Ivey Foundation, McConnell Foundation, and Carbon Management Canada. He has supervised PhD students working on a variety of environment and energy-related topics including North American air pollution, the politics of biofuels, decarbonization pathways and energy futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meadowcroft is currently Research Director, alongside David Layzell and Normand Mousseau, of the Transition Accelerator<\/a>, which utilizes a world-leading four-step methodology to engage diverse societal stakeholders to co-create visions of what a socially and economically desirable net-zero future will look like and build out transition pathways that will enable Canada to get there. As a result of his work with the Accelerator, Meadowcroft regularly presents to senior government officials, industry leaders, and civil society groups to build momentum to make the changes needed to address climate change. Meadowcroft also leads Efficiency Canada<\/a> \u2014 an independent, pan-Canadian think tank that conducts rigorous policy analysis, communicates compelling narratives, and convene and mobilize Canada\u2019s dynamic energy efficiency sector to make our country a global leader in energy efficiency policy, technology, and jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meadowcroft has served as co-editor of the International Political Science Review (1999-2007) and Associate Editor of the Journal of Political Ideologies (2006-). He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Tampere in Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Recent edited collections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Multilevel Environmental Governance:<\/strong>
\nManaging Water and Climate Change in Europe and North America<\/strong><\/p>\n

The literature on Multi-level governance (MLG), an approach that explicitly looks at the system of the many interacting authority structures at work in the global political economy, has grown significantly over the last decade. The authors in this volume examine how multilevel governance (MLG) systems address climate change and water policy.<\/em><\/p>\n

DOI: 10.4337\/9780857939258<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Conceptual Innovation in
\nEnvironmental Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n

Concepts are thought categories through which we apprehend the world; they enable, but also constrain, reasoning and debate and serve as building blocks for more elaborate arguments. This book traces the links between conceptual innovation in the environmental sphere and the evolution of environmental policy and discourse. It offers both a broad framework for examining the emergence, evolution, and effects of policy concepts and a detailed analysis of eleven influential environmental concepts.<\/em><\/p>\n

ISBN: 9780262534086<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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What Next for Sustainable Development?<\/strong>
\nOur Common Future at Thirty<\/strong><\/p>\n

This book examines the international experience with sustainable development since the concept was brought to worldwide attention in Our Common Future, the 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds engage with three critical themes: negotiating environmental limits; equity, environment and development; and transitions and transformations. In light of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals recently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, they ask what lies ahead for sustainable development.<\/em><\/p>\n

ISBN: 978 1 78897 519 3<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Interviews and Lectures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Energi Media<\/strong>
\nMarkham interviews Dr. James Meadowcroft, research director of The Transition Accelerator, about his new study, Pathways to Net Zero: A Decision Support Tool.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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