The implications of behavioural science for effective climate policy

This study takes an aggregate view of existing behavioural science research relating to climate behaviour. It takes into account eight key areas:

• Diet change – reducing high-carbon foods in people’s diets (e.g. meat and dairy).
• Reducing end-user consumption – encouraging people to reuse and repair goods, recycle, and reduce food waste.
• Aviation demand – reducing how much people fly.
• Adaptation – adapting to a changing climate (e.g. extreme heat or flooding).
• Net Zero skills and careers – helping people develop Net Zero skills and enter Net Zero careers.
• Business leaders and the transition to sustainability – encouraging businesses to be more sustainable.
• Land use and farming – increasing tree-planting on farmland.
  Policy acceptability – increasing the public acceptability of climate policies.

Some key takeaways:

• information-based interventions tend to be less effective at changing behaviour compared to measures that make green choices and behaviours the default or shift social expectations (e.g. by the government or businesses demonstrating leadership or introducing new policies).
•  There is also a need for policies that make low-carbon behaviours easier, cheaper, and more attractive, alongside regulations and incentives to shift behaviour. Generally, interventions are more likely to be successful when introduced in ‘moments of change’, when habits are disrupted and behaviour is more malleable.
• Restrictions on advertising are seen as a viable way to reduce demand for flying.

These findings highlight the importance of social tipping points, as social norms are found to be strong indicators of behaviour, and play a bigger role in changing people's behaviours towards sustainability than the availability of information about negative climate impacts of behaviours.