Understanding the core determinants of anti-science attitudes help us understand what is driving rejection of diverse scientific theories and innovations, ranging from new vaccines to the evidence for climate change

Why are so many people anti-science? Three experts on attitudes, persuasion and how humans are impacted by scientific innovations discuss their recent research that showed that there are four key reasons people reject scientific information in an article on The Conversation website. The experts are: Aviva Philipp-Muller, Assistant Professor, Marketing, Simon Fraser University; Richard Petty, … Continue reading Understanding the core determinants of anti-science attitudes help us understand what is driving rejection of diverse scientific theories and innovations, ranging from new vaccines to the evidence for climate change →

To nudge or not to nudge, that is the question

Magda Osman, Principal Research Associate in Basic and Applied Decision Making at the Cambridge Judge Business School writes on The Conversation website about the value of the nudge theory now evidence shows it doesn’t work. Nudge theory doesn’t work after all, says new evidence review – but it could still have a future t … Continue reading To nudge or not to nudge, that is the question →

“The legacy of all that climate disinformation remains”

David Klepper from The Associated Press writes on the National Newswatch website about the role of climate disinformation. Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, as public awareness of climate change grew, fossil fuel companies poured millions of dollars into public relations campaigns denouncing the accumulating evidence supporting the idea of climate change. We are paying … Continue reading “The legacy of all that climate disinformation remains” →

What works to slow climate change?

Kevin Trenberth, Distinguished Scholar, NCAR; Affiliated Faculty at the University of Auckland, writes on The Conversation website argues that that the most effective way to address the climate change problem is to decarbonise economies not to have such alternatives as geoengineering; carbon capture and storage, including “direct air capture”; and planting trees. What are your … Continue reading What works to slow climate change? →

Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies

Rihab Khalid, Research Fellow in Sustainable Energy Consumption at the University of Cambridge writes on The Conversation website that energy policies that try to be gender neutral usually leave women’s energy needs marginalised and there is a need to think about how women use energy and space. If we want to build truly sustainable … Continue reading Only by investigating how energy, gender and space intersect can we truly begin to move towards creating sustainable societies →

Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’

Sufficiency is a field of action that seeks to enhance the material wellbeing of the world’s poorest but simultaneously supports a more just distribution of the scarce resources provided by the Earth. Sadhbh O'Neill, a lecturer in climate policy and member of Dublin City University Centre for Climate and Society, in an article on the … Continue reading Not just a question of doing more with less, sufficiency requires paradigm shift towards ‘enoughness’ →

“No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter”

With REPowerEU underway, Europe’s energy and climate strategy demands a rapid change of scenery. We must utilise the full palette of solutions available, including household flexibility, says Sophie Yule-Bennett from the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) in an article on the FORESIGHT Climate & Energy website. House power: the hidden powerhouse of the new energy … Continue reading “No matter how many supply-side resources we pour into the mix, the perfect blend will elude us until we stop treating demand-side flexibility as a final flourish of glitter” →

New JRC report – Empowering vulnerable consumers in the energy transition

A new JRC paper examines ways to empower the energy poor and vulnerable consumers as active informed citizens and actors in the energy system, looking at exemplary practices from around Europe. Promising initiatives include energy advisors, trusted intermediaries, locally embedded innovative business models (like one-stop shops), trainings of energy actors, energy ombudsmen, energy cafés and … Continue reading New JRC report – Empowering vulnerable consumers in the energy transition →

During our current energy crisis, there are concerns that if sufficiency is not accepted, then rationing will be the inevitable solution

In an editorial on the Le Monde website, three leaders of energy companies called for reducing energy consumption. But the French government has been too slow in its efforts to encourage people to truly change their behaviour. The need for public leadership on energy sufficiency It is quite rare for companies to encourage their … Continue reading During our current energy crisis, there are concerns that if sufficiency is not accepted, then rationing will be the inevitable solution →

Need for a community-based climate approach in Australia to ensure any new infrastructure integrates with people’s lives, values, and aspirations

Bjorn Sturmberg, Hedda Ransan-Cooper, Johannes Hendriks and Pierrick Chalaye, all from the Australian National University write on The Conversation website that a techno-fix is not enough to address climate change. The climate and environmental crises demand innovations in our everyday infrastructures. If these changes are to be accepted and adopted en masse, we must find … Continue reading Need for a community-based climate approach in Australia to ensure any new infrastructure integrates with people’s lives, values, and aspirations →