NEW ACCESS paper: Defining environmental social sciences for interdisciplinary research, policy and practice
Published on 28 September 2026
This new ACCESS paper in the journal Environmental Science and Policy explores what exactly environmental social science (ESS) is and why defining ESS is so important:
“Environmental social sciences are often perceived to have less impact than other scientific perspectives. To help make a case for its value and importance it is essential that those working in the field develop and hold a shared understanding of the field that captures its breath and depth. Having a definition of ESS that is sensitive of disciplinary tensions and boundaries is vital to help demonstrate if, when and how the field can help understand and tackle people-environment challenges.”
The paper was led by Birgitta Gatersleben (ACCESS Co-Director, University of Surrey) and coauthored by a wonderful team of environmental social scientists from across academia, policy and practice:
George Warren (University of Exeter), Valentine Seymour, Ian Christie, Theofanis Exadaktylos, Nigel Gilbert, Amelia Hadfield & Melissa Marselle (University of Surrey); Beth Brockett, Liz O’Brien, & Harry Marshall (Forest Research); Isabelle Cardinal (Natural England); Chris Jones (University of Portsmouth); Clive Mitchell (Nature Scot); Benjamin Sovacool & Gerardo A. Torres Contreras (University of Sussex); Susan Williams (Natural Resources Wales); Caryl Williams (Welsh Government); and Anna Lorentzon (Environment Agency).