Leah C. Stokes

Anton Vonk Associate Professor of Environmental Politics, University of California-Santa Barbara

Areas of Expertise:

Environment & Energy

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About Leah

Stokes researches public policy and environmental politics, with a focus on environmental and energy policies in the United States and Canada. She has examined renewable energy policies at the state and local level and is particularly interested in how these policies are implemented. She has also researched several international environmental negotiations, particularly the recently finalized Minamata Convention on mercury pollution.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | Member Spotlight | In the News | Publications

Contributions

The Benefits and Challenges of Using Feed-In Tariff Policies to Encourage Renewable Energy

Key Findings Brief, November 2013

No Jargon Podcast

Episode 172:
The Battle over Clean Energy

April 2019

In the News

Opinion: "Harris Helped Pass One of the Strongest Climate Laws. Her Policies Don’t Stop There," Leah C. Stokes, The Guardian, August 5, 2024.

Opinion: "Before We Invest Billions in This Clean Fuel, Let’s Make Sure It’s Actually Clean," Leah C. Stokes, Opinion, The New York Times, April 14, 2023.

Opinion: "The Infrastructure Bill Won’t Cut It on Climate," Leah C. Stokes, Ideas, The Atlantic, July 14, 2021.

Opinion: "Americans Want Green Spending in Federal Coronavirus Recession Relief Packages," Leah C. Stokes (with Parrish Bergquist and Matto Mildenberger), Equitable Growth, July 7, 2020.

Opinion: "Protestors Want Justice--Including on Social, Economic, and Climate Demands," Leah C. Stokes (with Parrish Bergquist and Matto Mildenberger), The Washington Post, June 12, 2020.

Quoted by Geoff Dembicki in "Climate Activists Want to Mold Biden Into the President They Need," VICE, March 16, 2020.

Quoted by Geoff Dembicki in "Climate Activists Want to Mold Biden Into the President They Need," VICE News, March 16, 2020.

Quoted by Silvio Marcacci in "Five 2020 Energy Predictions," Forbes, January 13, 2020.

Quoted by Silvio Marcacci in "Five 2020 Energy Predictions: Solar Surge, Coal Crash, Gas Exorcism, Clean Energy Incentives, Public Mobilization," Forbes.

Guest on The Interchange, Greentech Media, July 15, 2019.

Opinion: "Can the Green New Deal Make it through Congress? Here are Five Things you Need to Know," Leah C. Stokes, The Washington Post, February 21, 2019.

Opinion: "Climate Change is Behind the Global Heat Wave. Why Won't the Media Say It?," Leah C. Stokes, Los Angeles Times, July 15, 2018.

Opinion: "Climate Change in My Backyard," Leah C. Stokes, New York Times, January 11, 2018.

Quoted by David Roberts in "The Political Hurdles Facing a Carbon Tax - and How to Overcome Them," Vox, April 26, 2016.

Opinion: "Ontario’s Backwards Step on Renewable Energy," Leah C. Stokes, The Toronto Star, July 22, 2013.

Publications

"Combining Climate, Economic, and Social Policy Builds Public Support for Climate Action in the US" (with Parrish Bergquist and Matto Mildenberger). Environmental Research Letters 15, no. 5 (2020): 054019.

Shows that people are more supportive of climate policies when they’re paired with economic and social benefits (like jobs or equity measures). In other words, bundling climate action with broader benefits makes it more politically popular.

"Beyond the Information Campaign: Community-Based Energy Behavioral Change at the University of Toronto" (with Matto Mildenberger, Beth Savan, Brian Kolenda, and Dan Dolderman). Environmental Practice 15, no. 2 (2013): 147-155.

Suggests best practices for environmental behavior-change campaigns in large institutional settings.

"The Politics of Renewable Energy Policies: The Case of Feed-in Tariffs in Ontario, Canada" Energy Policy 56 (2013): 490-500.

Analyzes the politics of renewable energy policies, including cost, local acceptance, investor certainty and international competition for jobs.

"The Power of Collaboration: Engaging All Parties in Renewable Energy Infrastructure Development" (with Todd Schenk). IEEE Power & Energy Magazine 11, no. 3 (2013): 56-65.

Discusses alternative approaches to engaging communities in renewable energy project siting, including joint fact-finding, public workshops and deliberative opinion polling.