The Environmental Social Sciences department will discover the causes of sustainability challenges, innovate new solutions to these challenges, and educate future scholars and leaders in how the social sciences can be used to understand and solve sustainability challenges. The department includes two areas: Environmental Behavioral Sciences and Global Environmental Policy.
Environmental Behavioral Sciences

Understand how the behaviors and choices made by individuals and organizations affect the world’s ability to achieve sustainability goals.
Degree Programs
Undergraduate
The Environmental Social Sciences department does not have an undergraduate degree, however many of its faculty teach in the interdisciplinary Earth Systems Program, which offers a BS and co-terminal MS degree.
News
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Tiny fragments of plastic that fail to break down have pervaded our water, food, ecosystems, and the human body. Experts explain impacts on our long-term health and what can be done to address the problem on a broader scale.
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Stanford researchers find resistance to climate action has become a global movement that strengthens after governments implement climate-related policies.
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Bård Harstad discusses the United States' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and the effectiveness of international climate treaties.