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Talking about climate change mitigation: people’s views on different levels of action

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posted on 2023-06-09, 13:02 authored by Sarah Becker, Paul Sparks
Previous research has examined public views on climate change and pro-environmental behaviour; however, there has been little focus on in-depth qualitative examination of views on mitigation strategies carried out by different social actors. This paper examines how people discuss strategies to mitigate climate change and the relative responsibilities of individuals, the UK government and corporations. Twenty people were interviewed about what they thought should be done to reduce the degree of climate change. Three main themes in their responses are identified: (1) representations of climate change, (2) responsibility for action, and (3) opposing environmental and economic interests. Overall, there was support for a variety of climate change mitigation strategies. There was some emphasis on individual behaviour change combined with suggestions about greater information provision and the importance of personal choice. Although some participants criticised economic and profit-oriented structures, there was a strong sense among participants that change in this regard was unlikely. An expansion of examples of alternative strategies to address climate change could contribute towards transcending individualised approaches, and accentuate perceptions of possibilities for significant social change.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Sustainability

ISSN

1937-0695

Publisher

MDPI

Issue

5

Volume

10

Page range

1357

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2018-04-24

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2018-06-06

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2018-04-24

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    University of Sussex (Publications)

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