Although substantial attention has focused on efforts by the new Administration to block environmental policies, climate politics have been contentious in the US since well before the election of Donald Trump. In this paper, we extend previous work on empirical examinations of echo chambers in US climate politics using new data collected on the federal climate policy network in summer 2016. We test for the similarity and differences at two points in time in homophily and echo chambers using Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGM) to compare new findings from 2016 to previous work on data from 2010. We show that echo chambers continue to play a significant role in the network of information exchange among policy elites working on the issue of climate change. In contrast to previous findings where echo chambers centered on a binding international commitment to emission reductions, we find that the pre-existing echo chambers have almost completely disappeared and new structures have formed around one of the main components of the Obama Administration’s national climate policy: the Clean Power Plan. These results provide empirical evidence that science communication and policymaking at the elite level shift in relation to the policy instruments under consideration.

Utility-sponsored residential energy reduction programs have seen rapid advancement in the Unites States (US) over the past decade. These programs have particularly emphasized investments in energy efficient appliances and enveloped improvements. They have generally required co-investment by residents and, as a result, have mostly reached medium to high-income residents, with low income residences, in effect, supporting the utility investments through higher energy costs. Additionally, utility initiatives directed toward behavior-based energy reduction have reached residences with more advanced technologies, such as smart meters and smart Wi-Fi thermostats linked to phone apps, technologies generally not present in low-income residences. This research seeks to inform development of behavior-based energy reduction programs aimed specifically at low-income residences, premised on peer-to-peer energy education and support. It focuses on the design and implementation of a pilot program for 84 low-income residences in a medium-sized Midwestern US urban neighborhood, followed by measurement of realized energy savings and assessment of program outcomes through surveys of resident participants and interviews with program implementers. Only 21 residences provided an initial response to outreach. Of these, only 11 participated, and of these, energy savings were, in general, modest. However, evidence based upon other research and qualitative data obtained from program implementers and participants is presented in this study for the development of an improved design. The improved design emphasizes grassroots community co-design of the program and community engagement through program implementation to transform energy consumption and behaviors and find energy justice for vulnerable communities.

How do social movements broaden their societal reach and mobilize more participants? To date, research has focused on social networks, organizational coalitions, and computer-mediated communication to aid in mobilization, but most research assesses these mechanisms in relative isolation. This paper integrates these perspectives to explore the ways social movements expand their ranks through large-scale street demonstrations and marches. Analyzing data collected through random surveys of participants at two of the largest demonstrations in the history of the climate movement-the Copenhagen Climate March in 2009 and the People's Climate March in 2014-we assess how the movement expanded. Consistent with the literature on protest mobilization, we show that the climate movement increased participation at these events via personal networks, organizational coalitions, and computer-mediated channels of communication. In addition, we find clear evidence that large-scale protest events like the People's Climate March are bringing new people, including passive members of social movement organizations and disengaged sympathizers, to the streets and into the movement. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of our findings on social movement expansion through large-scale demonstrations and outlining opportunities for future study.