DrRobert Macneil

BA, MA York University, PhD University of Ottawa

Robert MacNeil is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Politics at the University of Sydney, where he is known for his contributions to the study of climate politics in the Anglosphere. His research examines the cultural, ideological, and institutional dynamics shaping climate inaction, denial, and delay in countries like Australia, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

He is currently leading a suite of projects that explore some of the most urgent and politically fraught dimensions of the climate crisis, including the emotional toll of climate anxiety on young people, the rise of climate denialism among young men and boys, the role of conservative media in shaping public understandings of climate issues, just transitions in coal and agricultural communities, and the political economy of fossil fuel expansionism in Australia. He is also writing a book on climate pedagogy, drawing on nearly two decades of university teaching to explore how educators can meaningfully engage students in an age of ecological breakdown.

Robert holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Ottawa and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Neoliberalism and Climate Policy in the United States, which investigates the deep ideological roots of American climate paralysis, and Thirty Years of Failure: Understanding Canadian Climate Policy, a forensic analysis of Canada's repeated climate policy failures. His work has been published in a range of top-tier academic journals and is internationally recognised for bridging political science, sociology, and environmental studies.

A dedicated and award-winning educator, Robert has received numerous teaching awards in recognition of his innovation, clarity, and care in the classroom. He regularly supervises students across a wide array of topics including climate politics, food and agriculture politics, innovation and technology policy, energy transitions, federalism, and international political economy.

Beyond academia, Robert is an active public commentator on climate issues and has contributed to national debates through op-eds, interviews, and public talks. His insights have appeared in outlets such as The Conversation, ABC News, and The Sydney Morning Herald. Through both critical scholarship and engaged teaching, his work aims to support more just, effective, and socially grounded climate responses in Australia and beyond.