Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers

Article


Bain, Paul G., Hornsey, Matthew J., Bongiorno, Renata and Jeffries, Carla. 2012. "Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers." Nature Climate Change. 2 (8), pp. 600-603. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1532
Article Title

Promoting pro-environmental action in climate change deniers

ERA Journal ID201295
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsBain, Paul G. (Author), Hornsey, Matthew J. (Author), Bongiorno, Renata (Author) and Jeffries, Carla (Author)
Journal TitleNature Climate Change
Journal Citation2 (8), pp. 600-603
Number of Pages4
Year2012
Place of PublicationLondon, United Kingdom
ISSN1758-678X
1758-6798
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1532
Web Address (URL)http://www.nature.com/nclimate/journal/v2/n8/full/nclimate1636.html.
Abstract

A sizeable (and growing) proportion of the public in Western democracies deny the existence of anthropogenic climate change. It is commonly assumed that convincing deniers that climate change is real is necessary for them to act pro-environmentally. However, the likelihood of ‘conversion’ using scientific evidence is limited because these attitudes increasingly reflect ideological positions. An alternative approach is to identify outcomes of mitigation efforts that deniers find important. People have strong interests in the welfare of their society, so deniers may act in ways supporting mitigation efforts where they believe these efforts will have positive societal effects. In Study 1, climate change deniers(N=155) intended to act more pro-environmentally where they thought climate change action would create a society where people are more considerate and caring, and where there is greater economic/technological development. Study 2 (N=347) replicated this experimentally, showing that framing climate change action as increasing consideration for others, or improving economic/technological development, led to greater pro-environmental action intentions than a frame emphasizing avoiding the risks of climate change. To motivate deniers’
pro-environmental actions, communication should focus on how mitigation efforts can promote a better society, rather than focusing on the reality of climate change and averting its risks.

Keywordsclimate change; motivation; change action
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020520599. Social and personality psychology not elsewhere classified
Public Notes

Letter published online 17 June 2012. Corrected online 04 July 2012. The published version includes Supplementary material. Permanent restricted access to published version due to publisher copyright policy.

Byline AffiliationsUniversity of Queensland
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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