Daniel Rosenbloom

BA in Psychology (Concordia University)

MA in Public Policy and Administration (Carleton University)

PhD in Public Policy (Carleton University)

Daniel Rosenbloom’s research program focuses on realizing transition pathways to more sustainable futures. Over the past decade, he has published widely on the policy and political dimensions of transitions to low-carbon and net-zero emissions energy systems. Currently, he is particularly interested in studying and identifying ways to overcome political resistance to net-zero transitions, tracing the evolution of electrification strategies and processes, and developing decision support frameworks that bring near-term choices into dialogue with long-term net-zero outcomes. In conjunction with his ongoing research, Daniel is seeking to deepen linkages among the Canadian community of scholars studying sustainability transitions with the aim of advancing transitions research and practice domestically.

Daniel is also active within the broader international transition community, where he is an elected member of the Steering Group for the Sustainability Transitions Research Network (STRN). His work with the STRN seeks to strengthen connections between Canadian and international transition communities as well as enhance efforts to mobilize insights from transition research for policy and practice.

Prior to joining the School of Public Policy and Administration, Daniel held policy leadership roles at Environment and Climate Change Canada. In this capacity, he contributed to a number of climate and clean technology files, translating sustainability transition insights for policy impact.

Award for exceptional commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion at ECCC (2024)

Award for exceptional contributions to “Climate Science 2050: National Priorities for Climate Change Science and Knowledge Report”, ECCC (2023)

Award for exceptional contributions to “Clean Technology and Climate Innovation Strategy”, ECCC (2023)

SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019-21)

Senate Medal for outstanding academic achievement, Carleton University (2019)

Outstanding Reviewer Award, Energy Research & Social Science (2018)

Z.A. Hassan Graduate Scholarship for exceptional research, Carleton University (2017)

SSHRC Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2016-19)

1st place, Ian MacDonald Memorial Essay Competition, Carleton University (2010)

Rosenbloom, D. (2025). Building momentum for a ‘policy turn’ in sustainability transitions: Lessons from Canada to consolidate strengths and bridge science-policy divides. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2024.100956

Sovacool, B. K., Geels, F. W., Andersen, A. D., Grubb, M., Jordan, A. J., Kern, F., Kivimaa, P., Lockwood, M., Markard, J., Meadowcroft, J., Meckling, J., Moore, B., Raven, R., Rogge, K. S., Rosenbloom, D., Schmidt, T. S., Schot, J., Sharp, D., Stephenson, J., … Yang, K. (2025). The acceleration of low-carbon transitions: Insights, concepts, challenges, and new directions for research. Energy Research & Social Science, 121, 103948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2025.103948

Meadowcroft, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2023). Governing the net-zero transition: Strategy, policy, and politics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(47). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2207727120

Trencher, G., Rinscheid, A., Rosenbloom, D., Koppenborg, F., Truong, N., & Temocin, P. (2023). The evolution of “phase-out” as a bridging concept for sustainability: From pollution to climate change. One Earth, 6(7), 854–871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.06.003

Rosenbloom, D., & Meadowcroft, J. (2022). Accelerating Pathways to Net Zero: Governance Strategies from Transition Studies and the Transition Accelerator. Current Climate Change Reports, 8(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40641-022-00185-7

Trencher, G., Rinscheid, A., Rosenbloom, D., & Truong, N. (2022). The rise of phase-out as a critical decarbonisation approach: A systematic review. Environmental Research Letters, 17(12). https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac9fe3

Rinscheid, A., Rosenbloom, D., Markard, J., & Turnheim, B. (2021). From terminating to transforming: The role of phase-out in sustainability transitions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 41, 27–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2021.10.019

Markard, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2020). A tale of two crises: COVID-19 and climate. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15487733.2020.1765679

Markard, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2020). Political conflict and climate policy: The European emissions trading system as a Trojan Horse for the low-carbon transition? Climate Policy, 20(9), Article 9. https://doi.org/10.1080/14693062.2020.1763901

Rosenbloom, D. (2020). Breaking Carbon Lock-In through Innovation and Decline (Expert Perspectives: Long-Term Climate Strategies). World Resources Institute. http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11077-018-9314-8

Rosenbloom, D. (2020). Engaging with multi-system interactions in sustainability transitions: A comment on the transitions research agenda. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 34, 336–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2019.10.003

Rosenbloom, D., & Markard, J. (2020). A COVID-19 recovery for climate. Science, 368(6490). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4887

Rosenbloom, D., Markard, J., Geels, F. W., & Fuenfschilling, L. (2020). Reply to van den Bergh and Botzen: A clash of paradigms over the role of carbon pricing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(38). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014350117

Rosenbloom, D., Markard, J., Geels, F. W., & Fuenfschilling, L. (2020). Why carbon pricing is not sufficient to mitigate climate change—And how “sustainability transition policy” can help. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 5. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004093117

Rosenbloom, D., & Rinscheid, A. (2020). Deliberate decline: An emerging frontier for the study and practice of decarbonization. WIREs Climate Change. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.669

Rosenbloom, D. (2019). A clash of socio-technical systems: Exploring actor interactions around electrification and electricity trade in unfolding low-carbon pathways for Ontario. Energy Research & Social Science, 49, 219–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2018.10.015

Rosenbloom, D., Meadowcroft, J., & Cashore, B. (2019). Stability and climate policy? Harnessing insights on path dependence, policy feedback, and transition pathways. Energy Research & Social Science, 50, 168–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2018.12.009

Mallett, A., Jegen, M., Philion, X. D., Reiber, R., & Rosenbloom, D. (2018). Smart grid framing through coverage in the Canadian media: Technologies coupled with experiences. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 82, 1952–1960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.06.013

Rosenbloom, D. (2018). Framing low-carbon pathways: A discursive analysis of contending storylines surrounding the phase-out of coal-fired power in Ontario. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 27, 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.11.003

Rosenbloom, D., Haley, B., & Meadowcroft, J. (2018). Critical choices and the politics of decarbonization pathways: Exploring branching points surrounding low-carbon transitions in Canadian electricity systems. Energy Research & Social Science, 37, 22–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2017.09.022

Rosenbloom, D., Meadowcroft, J., Sheppard, S., Burch, S., & Williams, S. (2018). Transition experiments: Opening up low-carbon transition pathways for Canada through innovation and learning. Canadian Public Policy, 44(4). https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2018-020

Rosenbloom, D. (2017). Pathways: An emerging concept for the theory and governance of low-carbon transitions. Global Environmental Change, 43, 37–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.12.011

Rosenbloom, D., Berton, H., & Meadowcroft, J. (2016). Framing the sun: A discursive approach to understanding multi-dimensional interactions within socio-technical transitions through the case of solar electricity in Ontario, Canada. Research Policy, 45(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.03.012

Berton, H., Rosenbloom, D., Temby, O., & Meadowcroft, J. (2015). Using local improvement charges to finance solar photovoltaic systems. Energy Studies Review, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/esr.v22i1.3308

Rosenbloom, D., & Meadowcroft, J. (2014). Harnessing the sun: Reviewing the potential of solar photovoltaics in Canada. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 40, 488–496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.07.135

Rosenbloom, D., & Meadowcroft, J. (2014). The journey towards decarbonization: Exploring socio-technical transitions in the electricity sector in the province of Ontario (1885–2013) and potential low-carbon pathways. Energy Policy, 65, 670–679. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.09.039

Temby, O., Kapsis, K., Berton, H., Rosenbloom, D., Gibson, G., Athienitis, A., & Meadowcroft, J. (2014). Building-Integrated Photovoltaics: Distributed Energy Development for Urban Sustainability. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 56(6), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2014.964092

Rosenbloom, D. (2010). Are Canadian universities taking sustainability seriously? A case study analysis of sustainability initiatives at three Canadian campuses and the lessons decision-makers can learn from these efforts. ISEMA: Perspectives on Innovation, Science and the Environment, 5, 1–24.

Rosenbloom, D., & Meadowcroft, J. (In press). Navigating pathways to net-zero: A multi-factor decision support framework. In Mallett, A., & Merrett, C. (Ed.), Complex Energy Systems in a Changing World: Insights from Sustainable Electricity and Heat Generation. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis.

Meadowcroft, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2023). Accelerating low-carbon energy transitions. In M. Winfield, S. Hill, & J. Gaede (Eds.), Sustainable energy transitions in Canada (pp. 27–49). UBC Press. https://doi.org/10.59962/9780774869461-004

Markard, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2022). Phases of the net-zero energy transition and strategies to achieve it. In K. Araújo (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Energy Transitions (p. 22). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2311.09472

Rinscheid, A., Trencher, G., & Rosenbloom, D. (2022). Phase-out as a policy approach to address sustainability challenges: A systematic review. In Technologies in decline: Socio-technical approaches to discontinuation and destabilisation (p. 24). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003213642-10

Langhelle, O., Meadowcroft, J., & Rosenbloom, D. (2019). Politics and technology: Deploying the state to accelerate socio-technical transitions for sustainability. In J. Meadowcroft, D. Banister, E. Holden, O. Langhelle, & K. Linnerud (Eds.), What Next for Sustainable Development?: Our Common Future at Thirty (pp. 239–259). Edward Elgar Pub. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788975209.00024

Rosenbloom, D. & Bernstein, S. (2025). Canada needs net-zero industrial policy to address tariffs—not a short-term resource export boom. The Hill Times.

Rogge, K., Goedeking, N., Hoppmann, J., Lütkehaus, H., Rinscheid, A., Scherrer, A., Rosenbloom, D., & Song, Q. (2025). How phase-out policies strengthen Europe’s automotive industry. University of Sussex.

Rosenbloom, D. (2024). ‘Carbon contracts for difference’ are not a silver bullet for climate action. The Conversation.

Rosenbloom, D., (2020). Breaking Carbon lock-in through innovation and decline. Expert Perspectives, World Resources Institute, Washington.

Potvin, C., … Rosenbloom, D., (2018). A framework to evaluate low-carbon energy transition learning projects. Sustainable Canada Dialogues.

Rosenbloom, D., Meadowcroft, J. & Cashore, B. (2018). Stability and climate policy? Harnessing insights on path dependency, policy feedback, and transition pathways to help accelerate the low-carbon transition. Smart Prosperity Institute.

Rosenbloom, D. & Meadowcroft, J. (2017). Transition experiments: Unlocking low-carbon transition pathways for Canada through innovation and learning. Sustainable Canada Dialogues.

Rosenbloom, D. (2015). Choices, pathways, and emerging renewables: Exploring the role of new renewable electricity technologies within illustrative pathways for Ontario’s electricity system. In J. DeBardeleben (Ed.), Climate change and renewable energy workshop report. Ottawa: Carleton University.