Making it Easier to Take (environmental) Actions is not Enough: Policymakers Must also Emphasize Why Action is Necessary (p 91)
Abstract: "A complete policy response to climate change, habitat destruction, plastic pollution, and other Anthropocene challenges requires action by governments, industries, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals. In this article, we focus on ways to persuade individuals to take action, whether that entails making decisions to reduce their own carbon emissions, lobbying for new laws, or providing leadership in their sphere of influence. We argue that interventions will be most effective if they not only make it easier for people to act (as behavioral science suggests) but also highlight moral reasons for taking action and assure people that their actions make a difference. Such steps should increase humanity's chances of surviving and thriving in the Anthropocene."
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How to Encourage (proenvironmental) Specific Behaviors Without Crowding Out Public Support for (climate policies') Larger Goals (p 101)
Abstract: "Utilities, governmental agencies, and nonprofit organizations all use interventions meant to spur the public to act in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as by turning down the heat in the winter and limiting beef consumption. Yet critics contend that these interventions promote relatively trivial behaviors while reducing the perceived need to support regulations that would have much more of an effect but might require, say, increased taxes or effort. In other words, promoting behavioral interventions can crowd out the public's support for climate policies. But this undesirable consequence is avoidable. In this article, I propose evidence-based guidelines, which I collectively call the SESH formula, for implementing climate-related behavioral interventions that avoid crowding out support for effective policies. They hold that interventions should (a) push for specific high-impact behaviors, (b) accurately convey the behaviors' effectiveness, (c) promote behaviors that are similar to (that is, are clearly related to) desirable policies, and (d) frame the desired behaviors as steps toward a higher goal - in this case, climate-change mitigation. I review the evidence for each SESH guideline and identify areas for future research into behavioral interventions that will complement, rather than undermine, climate-change policies." |
