Critical Issues in the Psychology of Behaviour Change for Climate Change

The desire of social scientists in general and psychologists in particular to contribute through research to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and practices should not blind us to the theoretical, methodological and ethical issues such research raises. The emphasis by governments on reducing carbon emissions and arresting climate change has largely focussed on consumption i.e., those who are consuming goods and services rather than those who are producing them. As a consequence consumer focussed behaviour change is regarded as the policy option of choice by government. But do individualistic perspectives dominant in psychology deflect attention from the larger social, environmental, economic and political context? Does the current emphasis on coercive behaviour change strategies raise ethical issues concerning psychological interventions and the role of psychologists? Is the way research is currently framed on climate change awareness and concern telling us more about the problems of research methodologies rather than the problems of the environment and society? This paper critically and constructively addresses these questions and suggests a broader agenda for psychology's contribution to tackling the problem of climate change mitigation, adaptation and suffering