Advances in Behavioral Science in Shaping Effective Climate Change Communications

Sea level rise, melting Arctic ice, warming ocean temperatures, increasing severity of storms are just a few of the critical impacts stemming from a rapidly warming planet. Yet despite the incredible research, documentation, and reporting actively underway, a large portion of the public continues to resist the realities and implications of the changing global climate.

In order to ensure a global transition to a rapidly changing environment, the public must accept the uncomfortable, evidence-based truths being presented and ultimately become proactive partners in adapting to a new normal. Understanding how the human brain processes unpalatable information is the first necessary step in ensuring broad support and adoption of solutions and advances born from the necessity to adapt.

The field of Cognitive Behavioral Science has advanced in leaps and bounds in better understanding how information is processed and acted on since the discipline’s inception in the early seventies. A number of studies have identified robust methodologies for effective communication to various stakeholders (e.g., public, government entities, companies) on reported topics of interest ranging from climate change to water scarcity. This talk will describe the relevant principals from the field of behavioral science in overcoming some of the biggest communication challenges faced by communicators intent on not just disseminating information, but ensuring that information is received as intended. This is the critical first step in better informed decision making for behavioral outcomes that benefit not just individuals, but society writ large.