Background

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, impacting both the natural world and human society. To address this challenge, a growing body of literature has called for interdisciplinary research bringing together expertise from diverse fields to design more effective communications for engaging people in climate action. Research has shown (Burch et al., 2014; World Bank, 2015) that the traditional reliance on information-based communications is not sufficient. Effective communication and engagement requires an understanding of specific groups of people – what they value, what they identify with, who they are – and the language that resonates with them (Cymru, 2012).
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Furthermore, there is now recognition that inner dimensions such as worldviews, values, and beliefs significantly influence approaches to climate change risk assessment, mitigation, and adaptation (Burch et al., 2014; Pender, 2023). In Ireland, while awareness of climate change is high among the public, this does not necessarily translate into climate action – i.e., there is a ‘say-do’ gap (Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, 2022). In this context, there is value in exploring the role that inner dimensions such as worldviews play in human understanding and action in relation to climate change and how this can be applied to the design of climate communications.

Aim of the project

​The overall aim of this research project is to examine how using a worldview perspective can assist in the design of more effective communications that resonate with the deeper psychological and emotional drivers of people’s motivation to act on issues such as climate change and enhance mutual understanding of issues related to climate and land use policy.

What are worldviews?

Worldviews can be defined as the fundamental ‘lenses’ through which we see and filter reality. Essentially, they comprise the assumptions, beliefs, and values which shape our mental and emotional engagement with the world, as well as our behaviour and decision-making. ​The UWISCA project’s approach to worldviews draws on fields such as environmental and developmental psychology, whose fundamental premise is that there is a distinct structure and evolving sequence to the way we as humans come to understand and make meaning of the world around us and our place in it. The particular stage and worldview we operate from at a point in time influences what we notice and, thus, what we believe we can influence and change - essentially, ‘how’ we look determines ‘what’ we see and thus how we act.
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Figure: Worldviews as invisible subconscious influence on systems and behaviour

Reference List

The ‘Using Worldviews to Inspire and Scale Climate Action’ (UWISCA) project is funded by the Irish Environmental Protection Agency’s Research Programme 2021-2030. DISCLAIMER: Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the material contained on this website, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The authors accept no responsibility for loss or damage occasioned or claimed to have been occasioned, in part or in full, as a consequence of any person acting or refraining from acting, as a result of a matter contained on this website.