The behavioral sciences were in at the beginning of the systematic study of climate change. However, for the ensuing quarter century, they largely faded from view, during which time public discourse and policy evolved without them. That disengagement, and the recent reengagement, suggest lessons for the future role of the behavioral sciences in climate science and policy. Looking forward, the greatest promise lies in projects that make behavioral science integral to climate science by (a) tra...

This lecture will describe a research program directed at uncovering the cognitive mechanisms involved in non-expert understanding and use of information to make decisions under uncertainty. It will begin by providing background on the key principles of human information processing, including its strengths and limitations, that form the basis of the cognitive approach. Then it will focus on issues related to decision-making under uncertainty, from an applied perspective, in the context of wea...

Research on environmental decision-making provides a strong basis for understanding decision that have consequence for climate. In particular, three traditions of research, the rational actor model, environmental social psychology and the heuristics and biases approach have each explored whatshapes consequential decisions. I will review each approach, delimiting its strengths and limits. However, we lack a synthesis across these traditions, or even a strong understanding of which approach app...

Typical arguments for why we have not yet come close to achieving our climate and sustainability goals have to do with the power of vested interests, resistance to change, and ignorance of the true state of affairs. This presentation explores three other possible reasons (reliance on baseline thinking; a lack of attention to development pathways, and a focus on individual conscious choice) and suggests alternative approaches to all three. The paper concludes that rather than trying to change ...