Tag: climate action

When and how behavior change can accelerate system change (and vice versa): Mapping reciprocal processes for climate change mitigation

July 23, 2025

System change and individual behavior change are often conceptualized as mutually exclusive strategies for climate change mitigation – but what if this duality is misguided? Denise de Ridder and Sander Thomaes map four pathways illustrating that system change is effective when it promotes behavior change and vice versa. … More When and how behavior change can accelerate system change (and vice versa): Mapping reciprocal processes for climate change mitigation

Yes we can! Collective action framing increases support for hard climate policies

June 20, 2025

What if climate communication could enhance support for unpopular but necessary policies? Valerie Dewaelheyns and colleagues show that collective action framing can increase public acceptance of climate adaptation policies and strengthen citizens’ belief in society’s collective power to tackle climate change. … More Yes we can! Collective action framing increases support for hard climate policies

Meat and manhood: Unpacking resistance to reduced meat consumption

December 26, 2024

Excessive meat consumption is increasingly scrutinised for its impacts on the environment, animal welfare, and public health. Men’s consumption of meat is higher than women’s, driven not just by taste preferences and higher caloric needs, but also social expectations surrounding men’s diets. Public messaging to reduce a behaviour as deeply ingrained as meat eating—a food that humans have consumed for at least 2.5 million years—can expect to face significant resistance. Behavioural public policy may offer unique tools to address this, but has to be careful not to trigger psychological defences.   … More Meat and manhood: Unpacking resistance to reduced meat consumption

Scaling up flying less

May 3, 2023

This blog post discusses strategic debates within the academic flying less movement: a loosely coordinated group of scholars that aim to reduce the role of aviation in the research sector. This movement draws our attention to a range of critiques about scale and efficacy when it comes to forwarding new, climate-informed behavioral norms. In this case, the debate often begins and ends with a discussion of the role of individuals taking spirited, and somewhat symbolic, stands against air travel. However, the scalar thinking of the movement proves to be more complicated than this critique of individual action presumes. We discuss how individual and collective actions relate to environmental politics and policy, and encourage an all-of-the-above approach to climate action. … More Scaling up flying less