TY - JOUR
T1 - Behaviour change to address climate change
AU - Whitmarsh, Lorraine
AU - Poortinga, Wouter
AU - Capstick, Stuart
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge support from the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) through the Centre for Climate Change & Social Transformations (CAST). Grant Ref: ES/S012257/1.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/12/31
Y1 - 2021/12/31
N2 - Addressing climate change requires profound behaviour change, not only in consumer action, but also in action as members of communities and organisations, and as citizens who can influence policies. However, while many behavioural models exist to explain and predict mitigation and adaptation behaviours, we argue that their utility in establishing meaningful change is limited due to their being too reductive, individualistic, linear, deliberative and blind to environmental impact. This has led to a focus on suboptimal intervention strategies, particularly informational approaches. Addressing the climate crisis requires a focus on high-impact behaviours and high-emitting groups; interdisciplinary interventions that address the multiple drivers, barriers and contexts of behaviour; and timing to ensure interventions are targeted to moments of change when habits are weaker.
AB - Addressing climate change requires profound behaviour change, not only in consumer action, but also in action as members of communities and organisations, and as citizens who can influence policies. However, while many behavioural models exist to explain and predict mitigation and adaptation behaviours, we argue that their utility in establishing meaningful change is limited due to their being too reductive, individualistic, linear, deliberative and blind to environmental impact. This has led to a focus on suboptimal intervention strategies, particularly informational approaches. Addressing the climate crisis requires a focus on high-impact behaviours and high-emitting groups; interdisciplinary interventions that address the multiple drivers, barriers and contexts of behaviour; and timing to ensure interventions are targeted to moments of change when habits are weaker.
KW - Behaviour change
KW - Climate change
KW - Psychology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85105568428&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.002
DO - 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.002
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85105568428
SN - 2352-250X
VL - 42
SP - 76
EP - 81
JO - Current Opinion in Psychology
JF - Current Opinion in Psychology
ER -
