Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ecological Crisis Through a Social Lens

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ecological Crisis, Sustainability and the Psychosocial Subject

Part of the book series: Studies in the Psychosocial ((STIP))

  • 1176 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter surveys how environmentalism has moved from a fringe, counter-cultural concern to the avowed concern of public, policy makers and corporations in little over fifty years to the point where we can now recognise the mainstreaming of a ‘sustainability agenda’. This is a story in which after many years of near-silence, psychology and the social sciences have to come to play an increasingly prominent role. This chapter briefly charts some of the early signs of this academic attention and subsequent influence. It will summarise how recent developments across the social sciences have in various ways attempted to advance understandings of the relationship between human and non-human nature, understood as in crisis, that more fully accommodate social, psychological and interpenetrating ecological processes. The initial focus of the chapter establishes the key claim in this developing literature - that social context has been under-theorised and researched in applying psychology to the human-nonhuman nature relationship, particularly envisaged as environmental ‘problems’ and behavioural ‘solutions’.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 89.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The twenty-first century has continued in similar fashion, already registering the largest accidental oil spill of all time (Deepwater Horizon 2010); the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster (2011), and extreme weather events including the Boxing Day Tsunamis (2004), Hurricane Katrina and others (2005).

  2. 2.

    Anderson (2011) and Boykoff and Goodman (2009) offer perceptive and entertaining analyses of the pitfalls of celebrity endorsement of environmental issues.

  3. 3.

    An illustrative example of psychology’s moment in the sustainability spotlight is the activity of the largest and most powerful psychological association in the world – the American Psychological Association. The Association created a climate change ‘task force’, which produced an extensive report (American Psychological Association 2009), followed by later updates (Doherty and Clayton 2011; Swim et al. 2011a, b; Reser and Swim 2011; Gifford 2011; Stern 2011).

  4. 4.

    After reading these documents in some detail, it is easy to concur with Black’s more general criticism that ‘the IPCC has shown a remarkably consistent capacity to turn out documents that defy comprehension by the non-specialist, despite the undoubted quality of the underlying assessments’ (Black 2015, p. 282).

  5. 5.

    This shared context is presumably what motivates natural and social scientists concerned about anthropogenic ecological degradation to commit themselves to developing relevant theoretical models, carry out research and communicate their findings.

  6. 6.

    See www.futureearth.org. See also the International Council for Science’s International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP est. 1996); and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP, est. 1987).

  7. 7.

    The IPCC Working Group Reports alone amount to over 4000 pages.

  8. 8.

    Of course persistent calls for a heightened role for social science perspectives is not itself evidence of a greater presence for social science understandings, let alone critical ones. The actual influence of social science perspectives on policy formation, international treaties, and collective responses more generally is yet to be seen.

References

  • Adams, M. (2012). A social engagement: How ecopsychology can benefit from dialogue with the social sciences. Ecopsychology, 4(3), 216–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change. (2009). Psychology and global climate change: Addressing a multi-faceted phenomenon and set of challenges. Available at http://www.apa.org/science/climate-change/

  • Anderson, A. (2011). Sources, media, and modes of climate change communication: The role of celebrities. WIREs Climate Change, 2, 535–546.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arbuthnot, J. (1977). The roles of attitudinal and personality variables in the prediction of environmental behavior and knowledge. Environment and Behavior, 9(2), 217–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bak, H. J. (2001). Education and public attitudes toward science: Implications for the “deficit model” of education and support for science and technology. Social Science Quarterly, 82(4), 779–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black, R. (2015, April 5). No more summaries for wonks. Nature: Climate Change, pp. 282–284. www.nature.com/natureclimatechange. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blake, J. (1999). Overcoming the ‘value-action gap’ in environmental policy: Tensions between national policy and local experience. Local Environment, 4(3), 257–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonaiuto, M., Breakwell, G. M., & Cano, I. (1996). Identity processes and environmental threat: The effects of nationalism and local identity upon perception of beach pollution. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 6, 157–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boulstridge, E., & Carrigan, M. (2000). Do consumers really care about corporate responsibility? Highlighting the attitude-behaviour gap. Journal of Communication Management, 4(4), 355–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boykoff, M. T., & Goodman, M. (2009). Conspicuous redemption: Promises and perils of celebrity involvement in climate change. Geoforum, 2009(40), 395–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • British Psychological Society. (2015). Behaviour change briefings. http://www.bps.org.uk/what-we-do/our-influence/behaviour-change-briefings/behaviour-change-briefings-0. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Brundtland, G. H. (1987). Our common future: Report of the 1987 world commission on environment and development (pp. 1–59). Oslo: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bulkeley, H. (2000). Common knowledge? Public understanding of climate change in Newcastle, Australia. Public Understanding of Science, 9(3), 313–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capstick, S., Lorenzoni, I., Corner, A., & Whitmarsh, L. (2014). Prospects for radical emissions reduction through behavior and lifestyle change. Carbon Management, 5(4), 429–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N., & Upham, P. (2015). International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 6(1), 35–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castree, N. (2014, November 14). Dangerous knowledge and global environmental change: Whose epistemologies count? EnviroSociety. www.envirosociety.org/2014/11/dangerous-knowledge-and-global-environmental-change. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Castree, N., Adams, W. M., Barry, J., Brockington, D., Buscher, B., Corbera, E., Demeritt, D., Duffy, R., Felt, U., Neves, K., Newell, P., Pellizzoni, L., Rigby, K., Robbins, P., Robin, L., Rose, D. B., Ross, A., Schlosberg, D., Sorlin, S., West, P., Whitehead, M., & Wynne, B. (2014). Changing the intellectual climate. Nature Climate Change, 4(9), 763–768. doi:10.1038/NCLIMATE2339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, S. (2013). States of denial: Knowing about atrocities and suffering (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commoner, B. (1971). The closing circle. New York: Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Corner, A. (2014). Climate Silence (and how to break it). London: Climate Outreach & Information Network. http://climateoutreach.org/resources/climate-silence-and-how-to-break-it/ . Accessed 12 Sep 2016.

  • Crompton, T. (2008). Weathercocks and signposts. World Wildlife Fund. www.wwf.org.uk/strategiesforchange. Accessed 21 Dec 2015.

  • Crompton, T. (2013). Behaviour change: A dangerous distraction. In R. Crocker & S. Lehmann (Eds.), Motivating change: Sustainable design and behaviour in the built environment (pp. 111–126). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Defra. (2008). A framework for pro-environmental behaviours. London: Defra.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diekmann, A., & Preisendorfer, P. (1998). Environmental behavior – Discrepancies between aspirations and reality. Rationality and Society, 10, 79–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doherty, T. J., & Clayton, S. (2011). The psychological impacts of global climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 265–276.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edenhofer, O., Pichs-Madruga, R., Sokona, Y., Farahani, E., Kadner, S., Seyboth, K., Adler, A., Baum, I., Brunner, S., Eickemeier, P., Kriemann, B., Savolainen, J., Schlömer, S., von Stechow, C., Zwickel, T., & Minx, J. C. (Eds.). (2014). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Summary for Policymakers. Contribution of Working Group III to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Fifth Assessment Report. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ESRC. (2015b). Environment and energy research. http://www.esrc.ac.uk/research/research-topics/environment-and-energy-research/. Accessed 22 Dec 2015.

  • European Commission. (2010). Work Programme 2011, Cooperation Theme 6, Environment (including climate change). ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/wp/cooperation/environment/f-wp-201101_en.pdf. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Field, C. B., Barros, V. R., Dokken, D. J., Mach, K. J., Mastrandrea, M. D., Bilir, T. E., Chatterjee, M., Ebi, K. L., Estrada, Y. O., Genova, R. C., Girma, B., Kissel, E. S., Levy, A. N., MacCracken, S., Mastrandrea, P. R., & White, L. L. (Eds.). (2014). Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Summary for policymakers. Contribution of Working Group II to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, fifth assessment report. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleurbaey, M., Kartha, S., Bolwig, S., Chee, Y. L., Chen, Y., Corbera, E., Lecocq, F., Lutz, W., Muylaert, M. S., Norgaard, R. B., Okereke, C., & Sagar, A. D. (2014). Sustainable development and equity. In O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel, & J. C. Minx (Eds.), Climate change 2014: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fransson, N., & Gärling, T. (1999). Environmental concern: Conceptual definitions, measurement methods, and research findings. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 19(4), 369–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (1996). Environmental problems and human behavior. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geels, F. W. (2014). Regime resistance against low-carbon transitions: Introducing politics and power into the multi-level perspective. Theory, Culture and Society, 31(5), 21–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geller, E. S., Winett, R. A., Everett, P. B., & Winkler, R. C. (1982). Preserving the environment: New strategies for behavior change. New York: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gifford, R. (2011). The dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American Psychologist, 66(4), 290–302.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gorz, A. (1979). Ecology as politics. London: Southend Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hackmann, H., & St. Clair, A. L. (2012). Transformative cornerstones of social science research for global change. (International Social Science Council). http://www.worldsocialscience.org/documents/transformative-cornerstones.pdf. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Hackmann, H., Moser, S. C., & St. Clair, A. L. (2014). The social heart of global environmental change. Nature Climate Change, 4, 653–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, C. (2012a). What history can teach us about climate change denial. In S. Weintrobe (Ed.), Engaging with climate change: Psychoanalytic & interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. 16–32). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hand, M., Shove, E., & Southerton, D. (2005). Explaining showering: A discussion of the material, conventional, and temporal dimensions of practice. Sociological Research Online, 10(2). http://www.socresonline.org.uk/10/2/hand.html. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Hannigan, J. (2014). Environmental sociology (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hargreaves, D. (2011a). Pro-environmental interaction: Engaging Goffman on pro-environmental behaviour change. Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment Working Papers 11-04. Norwich: University of East Anglia. http://www.cserge.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2011-04.pdf. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Hargreaves, T. (2011b). Practice-ing behaviour change: Applying social practice theory to pro-environmental behaviour change. Journal of Consumer Culture, 11(1), 79–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hines, J. M., Hungerford, H. R., & Tomera, A. N. (1986/1987). Analysis and synthesis of research on environmental behavior: A meta- analysis. Journal of Environmental Education, 18, 1–8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobson, K. (2004). Sustainable consumption in the United Kingdom: The “responsible” consumer and government at “arm’s length”. The Journal of Environment & Development, 13(2), 121–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • House of Lords. (2011). Behaviour change. House of Lords, Science and Technology Select Committee. HL Paper no. 179.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISSC/UNESCO. (2013a). SUMMARY: World Social Science Report 2013: Changing global environments. Paris: OECD Publishing and UNESCO Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISSC/UNESCO. (2013b). World Social Science Report 2013: Changing global environments. Paris: OECD Publishing and UNESCO Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, R., Pykett, J., & Whitehead, M. (2013). Psychological governance and behaviour change. Policy and Politics, 41(2), 159–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juvan, E., & Dolnicar, S. (2014). The attitude-behaviour gap in sustainable tourism. Annals of Tourism Research, 48, 76–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasper, D. V. S. (2009). Ecological habitus: Toward a better understanding of socioecological relations. Organization and Environment, 22(3), 311–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khoo, S. (2013). Sustainable development of what? In F. Fahy & H. Rau (Eds.), Methods of sustainability research in the social sciences. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidner, D. W. (2001). Nature and psyche: Radical environmentalism and the politics of subjectivity. New York: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kidner, D. (2012). Nature and experience in the culture of delusion: How industrial society lost touch with reality. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kinzig, A. P., Ehrlich, P. R., Alston, L. J., Arrow, K., Barrett, S., Buchman, T. G., … & Saari, D. (2013). Social norms and global environmental challenges: The complex interaction of behaviors, values, and policy. BioScience, 63(3), 164–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohn, E. (2013). How forests think: Toward an anthropology beyond the Human. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolstad, C., Urama, K., Broome, J., Bruvoll, A., Cariño Olvera, M., Fullerton, D., Gollier, C., Hanemann, W. M., Hassan, R., Jotzo, F., Khan, M. R., Meyer, L., & Mundaca, L. (2014). Social, economic and ethical concepts and methods. In O. Edenhofer, R. Pichs-Madruga, Y. Sokona, E. Farahani, S. Kadner, K. Seyboth, A. Adler, I. Baum, S. Brunner, P. Eickemeier, B. Kriemann, J. Savolainen, S. Schlömer, C. von Stechow, T. Zwickel, & J. C. Minx (Eds.), Climate change 2014: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, UK/New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurz, T., Gardner, B., Verplanken, B., & Abraham, C. (2015). Habitual behaviors or patterns of practice? Explaining and changing repetitive climate-relevant actions. WIREs Clim Change, 6, 113–128. doi:10.1002/wcc.327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leggett, W. (2014). The politics of behaviour change: Nudge, neoliberalism and the state. Policy and Politics, 42(1), 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leyshon, C. (2014). Critical issues in social science climate change research. Contemporary Social Science: Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, 9(4), 359–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liere, K. D., & Dunlap, R. E. (1978). Moral norms and environmental behavior: An application of Schwartz’s norm‐activation model to yard burning. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 8(2), 174–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lorenzoni, I., Nicholson-Cole, S., & Whitmarsh, L. (2007). Barriers perceived to engaging with climate change among the UK public and their policy implications. Global Environmental Change, 17(3), 445–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, P., Phillipson, J., & Wilkinson, K. (2013). Why social scientists should engage with natural scientists. Contemporary Social Science, 8(3), 207–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacKay, D. (2008). Sustainable Energy – Without the hot air. Cambridge: UIT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maniates, M. (2001). Individualization: Plant a tree, buy a bike, save the world? Global Environmental Politics, 1(3), 31–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcuse, H. (1964). One dimensional man. Studies in the ideology of advanced industrial society. Boston: Beacon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazur, L. (2011). Inspiring action: The role of psychology in environmental campaigning and activism. Ecopsychology, 3(2), 139–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2000). Promoting sustainable behavior: An introduction to community-based social marketing. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 543–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meadows, D. H., Meadows, G., Randers, J., & Behrens, W. W. (1972). The limits to growth. New York: Universe Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mols, F., Haslam, S. A., Jetten, J., & Steffens, N. K. (2015). Why a nudge is not enough: A social identity critique of governance by stealth. European Journal of Political Research, 54, 81–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monroe, M. C. (2003). Two avenues for encouraging conservation behaviors. Human Ecology Review, 10(2), 113–125.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moser, S. C., & Dilling, L. (Eds.). (2007). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moser, S. C., & Dilling, L. (2011). Communicating climate change: Closing the science-action gap. The Oxford handbook of climate change and society (pp. 161–174). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller, B. (2010). Copenhagen 2009: Failure or final wake-up call for our leaders? Oxford: Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Newhouse, N. (1990). Implications of attitude and behavior research for environmental conservation. The Journal of Environmental Education, 22(1), 26–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nisbet, M. C., & Scheufele, D. A. (2009). What’s next for science communication? Promising directions and lingering distractions. American Journal of Botany, 96(10), 1767–1778.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paterson, M., & Stripple, J. (2010). My space: Governing individuals’ carbon emissions. Environment and Planning. D, Society and Space, 28(2), 341.

    Google Scholar 

  • PlanLoCal. (2013). Behaviour change: Theories, approach, guidance. Centre for Sustainable Energy. Available via the reading list or at http://www.planlocal.org.uk/pages/getting-people-involved/behaviour-change-theories-approaches-and-guidance

  • Rapley, C. G. (2012). Foreword. In S. Weintrobe (Ed.), Engaging with climate change: Psychoanalytic and interdisciplinary perspectives (pp. xviii–xvxxi). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapley, C. G., De Meyer, K., Carney, J., Clarke, R., Howarth, C., Smith, N., et al. (2014). Time for change? Climate science reconsidered: Report of the UCL policy commission on communicating climate science. London: UCL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reser, J. P., & Swim, J. K. (2011). Adapting to and coping with the threat and impacts of climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 277.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ritzer, G., & Dean, P. (2014). Globalization: A basic text. London: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roszak, T. (1992). The voice of the earth. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheele, C. E., & Papazu, I. (2015). Changing individual behaviors or creating green societies? Advancing from a behaviorist to a social practice theory approach. Ecopsychology, 7(2), 104–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Searles, H. (1960). The nonhuman environment in normal development and in schizophrenia. New York: International Universities Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Selinger, E., & Whyte, K. (2011). Is there a right way to nudge? The practice and ethics of choice architecture. Sociology Compass, 5(10), 923–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seyfang, G. (2005). Shopping for sustainability: Can sustainable consumption promote ecological citizenship? Environmental Politics, 14(2), 290–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E. (2010a). Sociology in a changing climate. Sociological Research Online, 15(3), 12 http://www.socresonline.org.uk/15/3/12.html

    Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E. A. (2010b). Beyond the ABC: Climate change policy and theories of social change. Environment and Planning. A, 42(6), 1273–1285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E. A. (2010c). Social theory and climate change questions often, sometimes and not yet asked. Theory, Culture and Society, 27(2–3), 277–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shove, E. A. (2010d). Submission to the House of Lords Science and Technology. Select Committee Call for Evidence on Behaviour Change. Available at: http://www.lancs.ac.uk/staff/shove/transitionsinpractice/papers/ShoveHouseofLords.pdf

  • Shove, E. A., Pantzar, M., & Watson, M. (2012). The dynamics of social practice: Everyday life and how it changes. London: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Soron, D. (2010). Sustainability, self-identity and the sociology of consumption. Sustainable Development, 18(3), 172–181.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spotswood, F., Chatterton, T., Tapp, A., & Williams, D. (2015). Analysing cycling as a social practice: An empirical grounding for behaviour change. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 29, 22–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour: An integrative review and research agenda. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 309–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. C. (2011). Contributions of psychology to limiting climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 303–314.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stokols, D. (1995). The paradox of environmental psychology. American Psychologist, 50(10), 821–837.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sturgis, P., & Allum, N. (2004). Science in society: Re-evaluating the deficit model of public attitudes. Public Understanding of Science, 13(1), 55–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swim, J., Clayton, S., Doherty, T., Gifford, R., Howard, G., Reser, J., & Weber, E. (2009). Psychology and global climate change: Addressing a multi-faceted phenomenon and set of challenges. A report by the American Psychological Association’s task force on the interface between psychology and global climate change. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swim, J. K., Stern, P. C., Doherty, T. J., Clayton, S., Reser, J. P., Weber, E. U., Gifford, R., & Howard, G. S. (2011a). Psychology’s contributions to understanding and addressing global climate change. American Psychologist, 66(4), 241.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Swim, J. K., Clayton, S., & Howard, G. S. (2011b). Human behavioral contributions to climate change: Psychological and contextual drivers. American Psychologist, 66(4), 251–264.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • The Scottish Government. (2010). 10 Key messages about behaviour change. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/by-topic/environment/social-research/Remit/events/Key-Messages. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Thøgersen, J., & Crompton, T. (2009). Simple and painless? The limitations of spillover in environmental campaigning. Journal of Consumer Policy, 32, 141–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UK Government. (2011). Cabinet Office Behavioural Insights Team: Behaviour Change and Energy Use. http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/behaviour-change-and-energy-use. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • UNFCCC. (2009, December 18). Copenhagen Accord. U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. United Nations. http://unfccc.int/meetings/copenhagen_dec_2009/items/5262.php. Accessed 21 Dec 2015.

  • UNFCCC. (2015). About UNFCCC. http://newsroom.unfccc.int/about/. Accessed 18 Dec 2015.

  • Urry, J. (2010). Sociology facing climate change. Sociological Research Online, 15(3), 1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uzzell, D. L. (2000). The psycho-spatial dimension of global environmental problems. Elsevier Journal of Environmental Psychology, 20(4), 307–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uzzell, D., & Räthzel, N. (2009). Transforming environmental psychology. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(3), 340–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warde, A. (2013) Sustainable consumption and behaviour change. Discover Society, Issue 1. http://www.discoversociety.org/2013/10/01/sustainable-consumption-and-behaviour-change/ . Accessed 12 Sep 2016.

  • Weaver, C. P., Mooney, S., Allen, D., Beller-Simms, N., Fish, T., Grambsch, A. E., & Winthrop, R. (2014). From global change science to action with social sciences. Nature Climate Change, 4(8), 656–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webb, J. (2012). Climate change and society: The chimera of behaviour change technologies. Sociology, 46(1), 109–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Willems, E. P., & McIntire, J. D. (1982). A review of preserving the environment: New strategies for behavior change. The Behavior Analyst, 5(2), 191–197.

    PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Wynne, B. (1992). Misunderstood misunderstanding: Social identities and public uptake of science. Public Understanding of Science, 1(3), 281–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Social Science, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK

    Matthew Adams

Authors
  1. Matthew Adams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Adams, M. (2016). Ecological Crisis Through a Social Lens. In: Ecological Crisis, Sustainability and the Psychosocial Subject. Studies in the Psychosocial. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-35160-9_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation