Facilitating Climate Change Responses : A Report of Two Workshops on Knowledge from the Social and Behavioral Sciences

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, understanding the need for policy makers at the national level to entrain the behavioral and social sciences in addressing the challenges of global climate change, called on the National Research Council to organize two workshops to showcase some of the decision-relevant contributions that these sciences have already made and can advance with future efforts. The workshops focused on two broad areas: (1) mitigation (behavioral elements of a strategy to reduce the net future human influence on climate) and (2) adaptation (behavioral and social determinants of societal capacity to minimize the damage from climate changes that are not avoided). Facilitating Climate Change Responses documents the information presented in the workshop presentations and discussions. This material illustrates some of the ways the behavioral and social sciences can contribute to the new era of climate research. Table of ContentsFront MatterIntroductionPart I: Public Understanding and Mitigation of Climate Change1 Public Understanding of Climate Change2 The Potential for Limiting Climate Change Through Household Action3 Public Acceptance of Energy Technologies4 Organizational Change and the Greening of BusinessPart II: Adapting to Climate Change5 Climate Change Adaptation: The State of the Science6 Federal Climate Change Adaptation Planning7 Place-Based Adaptation Cases8 Adaptation and Natural Resource Management9 Cross-Cutting Issues in Adaptation10 Synthesis of Key Questions for the WorkshopReferencesAppendix A: December 2009 Workshop Agenda and List of ParticipantsAppendix B: April 2010 Workshop Agenda and List of ParticipantsAppendix C: Biographical Sketches of Panel Members and Staff

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, understanding the need for policy makers at the national level to entrain the behavioral and social sciences in addressing the challenges of global climate change, called on the National Research Council to organize two workshops to showcase some of the decision-relevant contributions that these sciences have already made and can advance with future efforts. The workshops focused on two broad areas: (1) mitigation (behavioral elements of a strategy to reduce the net future human influence on climate) and (2) adaptation (behavioral and social determinants of societal capacity to minimize the damage from climate changes that are not avoided).

Facilitating Climate Change Responses documents the information presented in the workshop presentations and discussions. This material illustrates some of the ways the behavioral and social sciences can contribute to the new era of climate research.