Abstract
While public awareness and concern about climate change are growing, pro-environmental action and support for ambitious policies are falling short. This talk sheds light on cognitive and psychological challenges in responding to climate change through the lens of behavioural economics, as well as on how these may be addressed through targeted interventions. For example, individuals struggle to mentally connect their choices today with future environmental externalities, which often lack salience and are hard to vividly imagine. Evidence from two field experiments illustrate how helping to link actions to outcomes through real-time feedback and goal-setting can effectively encourage pro-environmental behaviour. Furthermore, climate action is governed by social norms and expectations, yet individuals also face misperceived beliefs about others (e.g., pluralistic ignorance). In an online survey experiment, we illustrate how highlighting the social consensus on climate change could help increase public acceptance of policies aiming at a sustainable transition.