ChangeAble identifies the relationship between climate policy, behaviour, and other critical factors needed for successful government action on system transitions.
On behalf of TU/Eindhoven, professor Heleen de Coninck is the main applicant, in co-lead with professor Edith Smit from UvA, our colleague professor Linda Steg (RUG), and HvA lector Reint Jan Renes.
“It’s important to determine how we can stimulate sustainable behavior, how we can help people make sustainable choices, and which factors define how much support there is for policy, because policy is absolutely crucial to combat climate change”, professor Steg says of the significance of the research consortium.
The NWO-NWA-awarded project, “ChangeAble: Accelerating climate action by leveraging behavioural change”, is a collaboration among:
6 research universities: TU/e, UvA, RUG, RU, UT, WUR
3 universities of applied sciences: HvA, THUAS, HAS
1 applied research organisation: TNO
7 societal and professional organisations: Natuur en Milieu, MVO Nederland, Milieu Centraal, Stichting Klimaatpsychologie, Behavioural Insights Nederland, Nationaal Klimaat Platform, HIER
The research project also includes a number of interdisciplinary co-applicants from the University of Groningen, namely our environmental psychology colleagues Thijs Bouman, Ellen van der Werff and Gabriel Muinos, along with professors Ming Cao and Michele Cucuzzella from the Faculty of Science and Engineering.
Project summary
To limit global warming to 1.5°C and adapt to climate change, system transitions are urgently needed. Government intervention through climate policy is crucial for driving these transitions.
While policy has been effective in promoting technological change, it struggles to induce lasting behavioural change. Additionally, climate policy often overlooks society’s potential for change.
The research project will develop interventions for five key policy areas:
- Making the built environment (human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity) more sustainable
- Improving the sustainability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- The circular economy: consumption and behaviours high on the “R ladder” (refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, recover)
- Sustainable agriculture, land use, and food systems
- Financial and fiscal climate policy
Policymakers can better utilise recent research that demonstrates how behaviour change can be supported by adapting decision-making contexts and recognising the high levels of support and willingness from the general public to adopt sustainable practices.
ChangeAble seeks to improve society’s ability to address climate change through more effective, acceptable, and just policies, and to empower policymakers to create strategies that drive behaviour change.
The project’s societal impacts include:
more behaviour-sensitive climate policies
greater knowledge among policymakers
deeper insights into social tipping points and the dynamics between climate policy and behaviour
These impacts will be achieved through collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders who will co-create research designs and interventions across five key policy areas.
NWO will provide up to 2.9 million euros in funding for the ChangeAble project as part of the ‘Behavioural Insights for Climate Policy’ call from the NWA (Nationale Wetenschapsagenda)
