Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries
Authors: Vlasceanu Madalina , Doell Kimberly C. , Bak-Coleman Joseph B. , Todorova Boryana , Berkebile-Weinberg Michael M. , Grayson Samantha J. , Patel Yash , Goldwert Danielle , Pei Yifei , Chakroff Alek , Pronizius Ekaterina , van den Broek Karlijn L. , Vlasceanu Denisa , Constantino Sara , Morais Michael J. , Schumann Philipp , Rathje Steve , Fang Ke , Aglioti Salvatore Maria , Alfano Mark , Alvarado-Yepez Andy J. , Andersen Angélica , Anseel Frederik , Apps Matthew A. J. , Asadli Chillar , Awuor Fonda Jane , Azevedo Flavio , Basaglia Piero , Bélanger Jocelyn J. , Berger Sebastian , Bertin Paul , Białek Michał , Bialobrzeska Olga , Blaya-Burgo Michelle , Bleize Daniëlle N. M. , Bø Simen , Boecker Lea , Boggio Paulo S. , Borau Sylvie , Bos Björn , Bouguettaya Ayoub , Brauer Markus , Brick Cameron , Brik Tymofii , Briker Roman , Brosch Tobias , Buchel Ondrej , Buonauro Daniel , Butalia Radhika , Carvacho Héctor , Chamberlain Sarah A. E. , Chan Hang-Yee , Chow Dawn , Chung Dongil , Cian Luca , Cohen-Eick Noa , Contreras-Huerta Luis Sebastian , Contu Davide , Cristea Vladimir , Cutler Jo , D'Ottone Silvana , De Keersmaecker Jonas , Delcourt Sarah , Delouvée Sylvain , Diel Kathi , Douglas Benjamin D. , Drupp Moritz A. , Dubey Shreya , Ekmanis Jānis , Elbaek Christian T. , Elsherif Mahmoud , Engelhard Iris M. , Escher Yannik A. , Etienne Tom W. , Farage Laura , Farias Ana Rita , Feuerriegel Stefan , Findor Andrej , Freira Lucia , Friese Malte , Gains Neil Philip , Gallyamova Albina , Geiger Sandra J. , Genschow Oliver , Gjoneska Biljana , Gkinopoulos Theofilos , Goldberg Beth , Goldenberg Amit , Gradidge Sarah , Grassini Simone , Gray Kurt , Grelle Sonja , Griffin Siobhán M. , Grigoryan Lusine , Grigoryan Ani , Grigoryev Dmitry , Gruber June , Guilaran Johnrev , Hadar Britt , Hahnel Ulf J.J. , Halperin Eran , Harvey Annelie J. , Haugestad Christian A. P. , Herman Aleksandra M. , Hershfield Hal E. , Himichi Toshiyuki , Hine Donald W. , Hofmann Wilhelm , Howe Lauren , Huaman-Chulluncuy Enma T. , Huang Guanxiong , Ishii Tatsunori , Ito Ayahito , Jia Fanli , Jost John T. , Jovanović Veljko , Jurgiel Dominika , Kácha Ondřej , Kankaanpää Reeta , Kantorowicz Jaroslaw , Kantorowicz-Reznichenko Elena , Kaplan Mintz Keren , Kaya Ilker , Kaya Ozgur , Khachatryan Narine , Klas Anna , Klein Colin , Klöckner Christian A. , Koppel Lina , Kosachenko Alexandra I. , Kothe Emily J. , Krebs Ruth , Krosch Amy R. , Krouwel Andre P.M. , Kyrychenko Yara , Lagomarsino Maria , Lamm Claus , Lange Florian , Lee Cunningham Julia , Lees Jeffrey , Leung Tak Yan , Levy Neil , Lockwood Patricia L. , Longoni Chiara , López Ortega Alberto , Loschelder David D. , Lu Jackson G. , Luo Yu , Luomba Joseph , Lutz Annika E. , Majer Johann M. , Markowitz Ezra , Marsh Abigail A. , Mascarenhas Karen Louise , Mbilingi Bwambale , Mbungu Winfred , McHugh Cillian , Meijers Marijn H.C. , Mercier Hugo , Mhagama Fenant Laurent , Michalakis Katerina , Mikus Nace , Milliron Sarah , Mitkidis Panagiotis , Monge-Rodríguez Fredy S. , Mora Youri L. , Moreau David , Motoki Kosuke , Moyano Manuel , Mus Mathilde , Navajas Joaquin , Nguyen Tam Luong , Nguyen Dung Minh , Nguyen Trieu , Niemi Laura , Nijssen Sari R. R. , Nilsonne Gustav , Nitschke Jonas P. , Nockur Laila , Okura Ritah , Öner Sezin , Özdoğru Asil Ali , Palumbo Helena , Panagopoulos Costas , Panasiti Maria Serena , Pärnamets Philip , Paruzel-Czachura Mariola , Pavlov Yuri G. , Payán-Gómez César , Pearson Adam R. , Pereira da Costa Leonor , Petrowsky Hannes M. , Pfattheicher Stefan , Pham Nhat Tan , Ponizovskiy Vladimir , Pretus Clara , Rêgo Gabriel G. , Reimann Ritsaart , Rhoads Shawn A. , Riano-Moreno Julian , Richter Isabell , Röer Jan Philipp , Rosa-Sullivan Jahred , Ross Robert M. , Sabherwal Anandita , Saito Toshiki , Sarrasin Oriane , Say Nicolas , Schmid Katharina , Schmitt Michael T. , Schoenegger Philipp , Scholz Christin , Schug Mariah G. , Schulreich Stefan , Shreedhar Ganga , Shuman Eric , Sivan Smadar , Sjåstad Hallgeir , Soliman Meikel , Soud Katia , Spampatti Tobia , Sparkman Gregg , Spasovski Ognen , Stanley Samantha K. , Stern Jessica A. , Strahm Noel , Suko Yasushi , Sul Sunhae , Syropoulos Stylianos , Taylor Neil C. , Tedaldi Elisa , Tinghög Gustav , Huynh Luu Duc Toan , Travaglino Giovanni Antonio , Tsakiris Manos , Tüter İlayda , Tyrala Michael , Uluğ Özden Melis , Urbanek Arkadiusz , Valko Danila , van der Linden Sander , van Schie Kevin , van Stekelenburg Aart , Vanags Edmunds , Västfjäll Daniel , Vesely Stepan , Vintr Jáchym , Vranka Marek , Wanguche Patrick Otuo , Willer Robb , Wojcik Adrian Dominik , Xu Rachel , Yadav Anjali , Zawisza Magdalena , Zhao Xian , Zhao Jiaying , Żuk Dawid , Van Bavel Jay J. 
Published: February 2024

Effectively reducing climate change requires marked, global behavior change. However, it is unclear which strategies are most likely to motivate people to change their climate beliefs and behaviors. Here, we tested 11 expert-crowdsourced interventions on four climate mitigation outcomes: beliefs, policy support, information sharing intention, and an effortful tree-planting behavioral task. Across 59,440 participants from 63 countries, the interventions’ effectiveness was small, largely limited to nonclimate skeptics, and differed across outcomes: Beliefs were strengthened mostly by decreasing psychological distance (by 2.3%), policy support by writing a letter to a future-generation member (2.6%), information sharing by negative emotion induction (12.1%), and no intervention increased the more effortful behavior—several interventions even reduced tree planting. Last, the effects of each intervention differed depending on people’s initial climate beliefs. These findings suggest that the impact of behavioral climate interventions varies across audiences and target behaviors.