Dr Harriet Thew

Personal statement:

I am an interdisciplinary social scientist whose research and teaching interests converge around climate change education, youth participation and climate justice. I use qualitative methodologies including ethnography and am currently engaging in futures research.

Prior to becoming an academic, I worked in international youth empowerment and advocacy, with particular focus on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations. I bring this commitment to advocacy and transformative action into Higher Education, striving to work collaboratively and creatively to drive positive change underpinned by principles of social and environmental justice.

Key topic areas of research or interest:

• Non-state actor participation in global governance, particularly the United Nations
• Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
• Normative aspects of participation including, justice, legitimacy and representation;
• Climate Change Education (CCE); training and capacity building;
• Place-based approaches to Climate Justice

Collaboration opportunities:

I am interested in collaborating or consulting on any of the topics highlighted above

Publications:

Booth, T. and Thew, H., 2025. Experiencing Climate Change and Living Through It—Provocations for Education Based on South African Youth Experiences of Climate Change Policymaking and Politics. Youth, 5(2), p.37.

Langlet, A., Leiter, T., Tessnow I. Wysock, V., & Thew, H. (2023). Reflecting and Comparing Research on Negotiations. Conducting Research on Global Environmental Agreement-Making, p.249 in Hughes, H. & Vadrot, A.B. eds., 2023. Conducting Research on Global Environmental Agreement-Making. Cambridge University Press. Online.

Hayes, T., Walker, C., Parsons, K., Arya, D., Bowman, B., Germaine, C., Lock, R., Langford, S., Peacock, S. and Thew, H., 2022. In it together! Cultivating space for intergenerational dialogue, empathy and hope in a climate of uncertainty. Children’s Geographies, pp.1-16. Online.

Thew, H. (2022). “You need a month’s holiday just to get over it!” Exploring Young People’s Lived Experiences of the UN Climate Change Negotiations. Sustainability, 14(7), p.4259. Online.

Thew, H., Middlemiss, L. & Paavola, J. 2021. Does youth participation increase the legitimacy of global climate governance? A case study of youth participation in the UNFCCC. Environmental Politics. Online.

Dyer, J., Middlemiss, L. & Thew, H. 2021. Towards just and inclusive community sustainability initiatives: learning from the Mixed Ability movement. Justice Spatiale / Spatial Justice. Online.

Hughes, H., Vadrot, A., Allen J., Bach, T., Bansard, J., Chasek, P., Gray, N., Langlet, Leiter, T., Marion Suiseeya, K., Martin, B., Paterson, M., Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., Thew, H., Vecchione Gonçalves, M., Yamineva, Y. 2021. Global environmental agreement making: Upping the methodological and ethical stakes of studying negotiations. Earth Systems Governance. Online.

Thew, H., Middlemiss, L. & Paavola, J. 2020. “Youth is not a political position”? Recognition and representation justice in the UNFCCC. Global Environmental Change. Online.

Howarth, C., Parsons, L. and Thew, H., 2020. Effectively Communicating Climate Science beyond Academia: Harnessing the Heterogeneity of Climate Knowledge. One Earth. Online.

Thew, H. 2018. Youth participation and agency in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. Online