Informing Action on Climate Change

Examining efficacy beliefs in the context of mental models, associated risk perceptions, and the decisions people face may be a more useful approach, with a larger potential to inform behavioral and policy changes to slow or stop climate change. Beliefs about the ease of personal actions as well as beliefs about the effectiveness of collective and government actions are positively associated with stronger support for policies to slow or stop climate change.

Putting these into the broader context of emotions and other perceptions highlights the importance of understanding mental models and risk perceptions, specific efficacy beliefs, and the decisions people face in order to inform and support actions on climate change.

The session is chaired by Professor
Gisela Böhm, UiB, and will be
streamed on YouTube. Please join the discussion by using the chat function!

All are welcome!

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Ann Bostrom
is Weyerhaeuser endowed Professor of Environmental Policy in the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. Ann Bostrom specializes in risk communication and policy analysis. She is past-president of the Society for Risk Analysis International.

Her presentation will draw on her work on the role of efficacy beliefs and mental models in risk communication and policy. Concepts of ease and effectiveness of various actions to slow or stop climate change have been studied and reported for several decades, but often in piecemeal fashion. Examining efficacy beliefs in the context of their mental models and the decisions they face appears to be a more useful approach, with the potential to inform those seeking behavioral and policy changes.

Beliefs about ease of personal actions as well as beliefs about the effectiveness of collective and government action appear to drive stronger support for policies to slow or stop climate change. Putting these into the broader context of emotions and other perceptions highlights the importance of understanding specific efficacy beliefs and risk perceptions in order to influence decisions and actions on climate change.

Photo credit:
Markus Spiske on Unsplash