Climate Advocacy Research Articles

Tomatoes Die: A Design Fiction for Grassroots Climate AI

This design fiction proposes a panel session in the near future having environment and climate advocates share their stories of using artificial intelligence (AI) in their work. This work explores how the development of an embodied river persona, a farming assistant app, and a community hazard mapping tool could pose challenges and aid successes to respective local communities. Our design fiction highlights issues of design and development challenges that local organizations might face in a varied AI development for the environment. We explore questions around incorporating traditional knowledge, ethical participatory design models, and challenges of implementing and sustaining tools. Our work demonstrates how design fiction might be used to imagine AI for the climate challenge that considers people, place, and community.

How scientists’ collective climate advocacy affects public trust in scientists and voting behavior

How scientists’ collective climate advocacy affects public trust in scientists and voting behavior

A Longitudinal Pediatric Residency Climate Justice Curriculum.

Background Graduate medical education programs must prepare physicians to adapt their care for patients whose health equity and outcomes are being threatened by climate change. This article presents the implementation of a longitudinal climate justice curriculum within a pediatrics residency program. Objective To measure the self-reported changes in attitudes and intentions for change in behavior after implementation of a climate justice curriculum. Methods A longitudinal, 4-part, climate justice and health equity (CJHE) curriculum was implemented from 2023 to 2024 into the broader advocacy training of a pediatrics residency program. Resident participants completed pre- and post-session surveys that assessed their attitudes toward climate change and health, as well as their intentions to engage in climate advocacy. Paired deidentified responses were analyzed via Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results Thus far, facilitators have conducted 4 introduction sessions, 4 narrative medicine sessions, and 3 health system sustainability sessions. Sixty-eight of 100 residents (68%) completed both pre- and post-session surveys. The curriculum was associated with increased self-reported understanding of how climate change impacts human health (CJHE 1: median of pairwise averages of pair-differences [MPA]=1.00, P<.001; CJHE 3-4: MPA=1.00, P<.001), increased agreement that health care providers can be effective climate advocates (CJHE 1: MPA=2.00, P<.001; CJHE 3-4: MPA=1.50, P<.001), and increased intention to discuss the health impacts of climate change in future patient encounters (CJHE 1: MPA=1.00, P<.001; CJHE 3-4: MPA=1.00, P<.001). Conclusions This longitudinal CJHE curriculum demonstrated acceptability and increased participants' self-reported understanding of how climate change impacts human health and the ways in which physicians can act as advocates.

Implementing and Assessing Climate Change Education in a Pediatrics Residency Curriculum.

Background For physicians to effectively combat the growing health crisis that is climate change, they should begin learning during medical training about its health implications. However, there is little data on residents' knowledge of the climate crisis, and even less data regarding the effectiveness and acceptability of climate change education in graduate medical training programs. Objective To incorporate a new educational session on the health implications of climate change into a residency curriculum and evaluate the acceptability of the session and its effects on residents' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of the topic. Methods In July 2021, a 90-minute, interactive, small-group format educational session on the health implications of climate change was incorporated into the first-year curriculum of a pediatric residency program. From July 2021 through June 2023, resident participants completed pre- and post-session surveys that assessed their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions regarding health implications of climate change. Likert scale data were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results Of the 109 residents scheduled to participate, 50 (46%) completed both the pre- and post-session surveys. Session participation increased residents' self-reported knowledge of how climate change impacts health and how physicians can act as climate advocates. Ninety-eight percent of all post-session respondents (58 of 59) agreed that they would recommend the session to other residents. With 3 facilitators, the monthly session required ≤4 hours of preparation and ≤12 hours of direct teaching time per facilitator each academic year. Conclusions A single educational session improved residents' self-reported knowledge of the health implications of climate change and was well-received by participants.

How information about historic carbon emissions affects support for climate aid: evidence from a survey experiment

In recent years, international climate negotiations have reached increasing consensus that the wealthiest countries should make significant financial contributions to offset the damages caused by the climate crisis in poorer countries. Proponents have justified such action based on wealthy countries’ disproportionate responsibility for global warming in the form of past emissions. However, in democratic countries such as the United States, it remains uncertain whether such messages can affect public opinion, especially across partisan lines. We conducted a pre-registered survey from a national online pool (N = 5,002) with a built-in experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative communications strategies associated with historic carbon emissions in increasing support for climate aid. We find that specific attribution claims that reflect a climate justice perspective do boost support for more generous climate aid, but the effects are largely driven by Democrats. We also find that global solidarity frames emphasizing shared responsibility did not affect support for climate aid. Our results have important implications for climate advocacy and our understanding of climate-related attitudes.

Environmental Literacy and Pro-Environmental Behavior of Pre-Service Science Educators: The Mediating Effect of Their Climate Change Awareness

The study investigated at how climate change awareness mediates the relationship between environmental literacy and pro-environmental behavior among pre-service science educators in the Davao region, involving a total of 305 respondents. A descriptive-correlational approach was used in a non-experimental quantitative research design. The findings revealed that pre-service science educators exhibit high levels of pro-environmental behavior, environmental literacy, and climate change awareness. This finding highlights the important role of future science educators in disseminating knowledge about climate change, as persons with higher levels of environmental literacy are more likely to engage in pro-environmental actions. Climate change awareness functioned as a partial mediator, indicating that although environmental literacy is essential, climate knowledge enhances educators' involvement in sustainable practices. The findings underscore the essential function of prospective science educators in climate advocacy, indicating that educational programs may improve environmental literacy curricula and incorporate discussions on climate change, thus preparing future teachers to motivate responsible environmental actions in their communities.

Climate Action and the UNCRC: A ‘Postpaternalist’ World Where Children Claim Their Own Rights

In this paper, it is argued that we are in a ‘postpaternalist’ era for children’s rights, involving grassroots action from children (for the first time, on a global scale) rather than well-meaning adults ‘giving’ children their rights. Child/youth climate action has involved under-18s acting for the environment through grassroots protest, media work and lobbying. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has arguably to date been approached in a paternalist way, whereby children need adults to help them to access rights. Yet, child/youth climate advocates have taken their own action, and demand equality as they enter rights spaces. They are frequently working with adults as equals and allies in litigating climate cases, for example. It is argued that (although there are rights challenges in a postpaternalist time) these young rights leaders have transformed human rights for the better, and adults should facilitate their work in a way that is child- and youth-friendly.

Advancing Global Social Change: Systems Approaches to the Role of Nonprofits in Climate Policy

Abstract The existential threat of climate change requires reimagining foundational aspects of society, including jobs, transportation, energy, the built environment, natural resources, health, and water and food supplies. We argue that to realize such broad scale change requires systems thinking. In this introduction to the special issue on Nonprofits and Climate Policy, we outline four systems-based views of global social change, organized by source of change and assumptions about the technical rationality of the system: engineering, evolutionary, social constructivist, and (critical) realist. By elaborating this framework, we shed light on the fundamental assumptions embedded in climate advocacy and policymaking. Along with describing key scholarship and practice-based examples for each approach, we align the articles in this special issue with the four views of global social change to inspire systems-based research and practice at the nonprofit and climate policy intersection. We hope that creating more explicit accounts of the key beliefs and expectations about how social change occurs at a global systemic level will help to advance research and practice in sustainability.

Risk perceptions of Italian paediatricians for the impact of climate change on children’s health

BackgroundsThis study delves into the risk perceptions of Italian pediatricians concerning climate change's impact on children's health. Given children's heightened vulnerability to climate-related health risks, comprehending these perceptions is crucial. A review of pertinent literature establishes the framework, emphasizing six key factors influencing children's susceptibility to climate-related health hazards.MethodsMethodologically, the study utilized a survey tool developed collaboratively with the Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP), garnering responses from a representative sample of Italian pediatricians.ResultsFindings indicate a high level of awareness among respondents regarding climate change and its health implications, with a majority attributing it primarily to human activity. Pediatricians recognize various current and anticipated health impacts of climate change, notably concerning illnesses linked to outdoor air quality. Despite acknowledging their role in addressing climate-related health concerns, respondents also cite barriers to engagement, including time constraints and knowledge gaps. However, they express interest in resources like professional training and policy statements to bolster their capacity for effective communication and advocacy.ConclusionsComparisons with prior studies highlight the consistency of findings across diverse contexts and underscore the significance of integrating climate and environmental health education into medical training. Overall, this study sheds light on pediatricians' perspectives in tackling the convergence of climate change and children's health, pinpointing avenues for enhancing their involvement in climate advocacy and mitigation efforts.

Nexus of Regenerative Tourism Destination Competitiveness, Climate Advocacy and Visit Intention: Mediating Role of Travel FOMO and Destination Loyalty

The Game Theory is aiding global tourism research to leverage destination appeal and competitiveness in the context of climate change advocacy. As global tourism continues to play a vital role in economic development and cultural exchange, there is a growing need to unravel the complexities of tourist behavior and destination competitiveness. Therefore, this study aims to utilize the Game Theory to investigate the relationships between Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Regenerative Tourism Destination Competitiveness (RTDC), Tourist Visit Intention (TVI), and Destination Loyalty (DL) within the UAE, with the moderating role of Climate Advocacy. An online survey (using Google Forms) was distributed via social media platforms (primarily Facebook groups), resulting in data collection from 296 respondents. Smart PLS 4 and SPSS were utilized for data analysis. The findings revealed that RTDC had significant positive relationships with FOMO, DL, and TVI, thus supporting hypotheses 1 to 10. However, the hypothesis regarding Climate Advocacy moderating DL and TVI was not supported. Based on the Game Theory, this study contributes to the theoretical understanding of regenerative tourism destination competitiveness and offers practical implications for destination management strategies. Limitations include reliance on self-reported data and context-specific considerations. Future studies should also consider cultural contexts, to enhance the external validity of research outcomes.

“We can't be too saintly”: Why members of parliament in the United Kingdom are reluctant to lead by example with low-carbon behaviour

Low-carbon behaviour change from individuals is both essential for meeting climate change targets and highly politically contentious. Shifting away from activities such as flying, driving and meat eating can greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, yet political leaders have avoided introducing policies to stimulate this for fear of alienating voters and confronting political orthodoxies. This article examines low-carbon behaviour change through the novel lens of individual leadership and leading by example. Applying threories of credibility enhancing displays (CREDs) and embodied leadership, we present evidence from 19 interviews with UK members of parliament (MPs), exploring how they think leading by example may affect their credibility as democratic representatives. We find that MPs believe leading by example is important as a general principle but is problematic when it comes to low-carbon behaviour. While some MPs do deliberately model sustainable behaviours to maintain credibility as climate advocates, they tend to do this quietly for fear of negative reactions from the media, political rivals, and constituents. MPs say modelling low-carbon behaviour may be perceived as a threat to individual freedoms, such as flying for holidays, and risks disapproval from local business interests related to high-carbon activities, such as car manufacturers or the airline industry. Even pro-climate MPs tend to frame low-carbon behaviour as “extreme”, and position themselves in contrast to this extreme, thus perpetuating social and moral norms of high-carbon behaviour. We discuss how individual politicians form part of a systemic resistance to low-carbon behaviour change.

Roles of parasocial relationship with eco-celebrities, motivation attribution, and message framing in virality of climate information on social media

Grounded in literature on attribution theory, framing, and information sharing, this study addresses the process and behavioral consequences of celebrity advocacy for climate change mitigation on social media. An experimental design (N = 693) examined how parasocial relationship (PSR) with celebrities was related to information virality of celebrity climate change messages on social media, as well as whether perceived motivations of celebrities' climate advocacy functioned as a mediator. The motivations examined were labeled affective (i.e., motivated by genuine environmental concern) and calculative (i.e., the ulterior motive of image promotion). In addition, the study explored how level of fear in message framing impacted information virality of celebrity climate messages. Social media users with higher PSR attributed higher levels of affective motivations for celebrities' advocacy, and stronger affective motivations were subsequently related to a greater likelihood of retweeting and replying to celebrities’ climate messages. Affective motivation attribution was a significant mediator in the relationship between PSR and message virality. Those with higher PSR attributed lower levels of calculative motivations for celebrity advocacy. However, perceived levels of calculative motivations were not related to likelihood of retweeting and replying behaviors. In addition, high fear messages were more effective than low fear messages in promoting the likelihood of retweeting and replying. These findings suggest that celebrity climate change tweets were more effective when the celebrities had a stronger bond with audiences and were seen as affective in their motivations, and when a higher level of fear was used to frame environmental topics.

Communicating intergenerational justice and climate change: a study of youth-generated environmental discourses

Abstract Awareness of climate change as an intergenerational issue with inequitable risk burden for younger generations is a relatively recent phenomenon. However, youth activists have already managed to come to occupy a meaningful role in climate advocacy. Accepting the invitation to search for positive new discourses to live by, this paper applies a positive discourse analytical lens to the study of the online discourses produced by the youth climate activists of Generation Climate Europe (GCE), the largest coalition of youth-led networks on climate and environmental issues at the European level, examining how GCE newsletters and podcasts use discursive strategies and multimodal resources to communicate their message. The (corpus-assisted) positive discourse analysis of this GCE-produced content revealed that the youth activists designed a complex virtual space brimming with cross-references, intertextuality, and options for its audience that projected an identity for the coalition as a productive, solution-oriented, and agentive organization. The discourses produced by GCE were carefully tailored to a specific interpretive community and they aimed to both claim and impart authority and expertise. GCE’s interactional practices strove to generate wiggle room to resist the status quo and advocate for critical issues such as intergenerational justice and institutional transparency. In disclosing these results, the authors hope to have contributed to understandings of how sustainable climate advocacy is currently being enacted by youth within digital communication across platforms.

Climate change advocacy and cancer clinical trial organisations

BackgroundClimate change is a threat to human health; equally health care is a threat to climate change as it accounts for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions and 30% of the world’s electronically stored data. 350,000 international trials are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov with ~27·5 million tonnes of emissions (equivalent to half of annual Danish emissions).MethodsIn September 2023 climate awareness among cancer clinical trial organisations was assessed via a web-based scoping exercise.ResultsSeventy-five organisations were identified of whom 46 had search tools on their websites. Eight out of 46 clinical trial groups had at least one parameter of commitment to climate change, and 38 organisations had none. Of 46 websites, 5 had climate change position statements or policies, 4 had a committee or task force, 1 provided patient education resources for climate change via video link, 7 included green initiative advice and 8 had publications addressing climate change. Only 5 were listed as members of Climate Change Consortiums.ConclusionsBased on website assessment climate advocacy among cancer clinical trial organisations is low, and efforts to encourage climate engagement are needed.

‘Who is going to talk about my grandad? Who is going to talk about me?’: Spatial politics in the advocacy of youth from the MENA region at COP 27

ABSTRACT In this article, we focus on the advocacy of youth from the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) region in the U.N. COP process through interviews (n = 12) with youth from the MENA region who participated in or organized around the 2022 COP 27 climate negotiations in Egypt. The perspectives of youth climate advocates in the region are relatively absent in the existing scholarly literature and there is a significant need for additional research about youth climate advocacy beyond the activism of white, western and wealthy young people (see Neas, S., Ward, A., & Bowman, B. [2022]. Young people’s climate activism: A review of the literature. Frontiers in Political Science, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2022.940876). Through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n = 12) supplemented by context drawn from digital media about youth climate advocacy in the MENA region, our findings characterize the: (1) priorities and claims; (2) perceptions of influence and participation; and (3) motivations for and challenges to youth climate advocacy across the region. We argue for intersectional analysis of youth climate advocacy in the COP process and beyond and describe the importance of examining the uneven spatial politics of climate change and transnational youth advocacy.

Climate Change, Kidney Health, and Environmentally Sustainable Kidney Care: A Multinational Survey of Health Care Professionals.

Given the threat of climate change to kidney health and the significant environmental impact of kidney care, calls are increasing for healthcare professionals and organizations to champion climate advocacy and environmentally sustainable kidney care. Yet, little is known about their engagement and existing literature is primarily emerging from high-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to understand the knowledge, attitude, and practice of healthcare professionals on the interconnectedness of climate change and kidney health; to identify personal and organizational initiatives in sustainable kidney care and strategies to increase their engagement; and to compare responses by their country's income level as classified by the World Bank. Participants (n=972) represented 108 countries with 64% from lower- or middle-income countries. Ninety-eight percent believed that climate change is happening, yet <50% possessed knowledge about the impact of climate change on kidney health or the environmental impact of kidney care. Only 14% were involved in climate change and kidney health initiatives (membership, knowledge/awareness, research, advocacy); 22% in sustainable kidney care initiatives (education/advocacy, preventative nephrology, sustainable dialysis, promoting transplant/home therapies, research); and 26% reported organizational initiatives in sustainable kidney care (sustainable general or dialysis practices, preventative/lean nephrology, focused committees). Participants from lower-income countries generally reported higher knowledge and variable level of concern. Engagement in sustainable kidney care did not vary by income level. Guidance/toolkit (79%), continuing education (75%) and opportunities (74%) were the top choices to increase engagement. National initiatives (47%), preventative measures (35%) and research endeavors (31%) were the top avenues for organizational engagement. These varied by income level suggesting that the vision and priorities vary by baseline resource setting. We have identified knowledge and practice gaps among healthcare professionals on the bidirectional relationship between kidney disease and climate change in a multinational context and several avenues to increase their engagement.

The case for longtermism: concern for the far future as a catalyst for pro-climate action

Amid escalating climate challenges, we examine relationships between longtermism beliefs with policy-level and grassroots climate-protective attitudes and actions. Across four primary pre-registered studies (N = 4451) and two supplementary pilots (N = 1858), we find that a significant portion, approximately 25% of our participants, who endorse the longtermism ethical philosophy, report heightened climate change concerns. Furthermore, longtermists show stronger support for pro-climate policies, advocate for initiatives in line with climate justice for future generations and present-day minoritized groups and make proactive contributions to environmental causes and initiatives. Moreover, we find that responsibility to distant future generations drives these associations. Through a targeted intervention, we boosted intergenerational responsibility and increased donations to an environmental charity. These findings highlight how longtermism beliefs shape pro-environmental attitudes and actions, offering valuable insights for climate advocacy strategies and cultivating more widespread support for comprehensive environmental policies.

Convergence or divergence? A cross-platform analysis of climate change visual content categories, features, and social media engagement on Twitter and Instagram

Advocacy organizations increasingly leverage social media and visuals to communicate complex climate issues. By examining an extensive dataset of visual posts collected from five organization accounts on two multimodal social media platforms, Twitter and Instagram, we conducted a cross-platform comparison of visual content categories and visual features related to climate change. Through deep-learning-based unsupervised image clustering, we discovered that visual content on both platforms could be broadly classified into five categories: infographics/captioned images, nature landscape/wildlife, climate activism, technology, and data visualization. However, these categories were not equally represented on each platform. Instagram featured more nature landscape/wildlife content, while Twitter showed more infographics/captioned images and data visualization. Through computational visual analysis, we found that the two platforms also presented significant differences in overall warm and cool colors, brightness, colorfulness, visual complexity, and presence of faces. Additionally, we identified platform-specific patterns of engagement associated with these categories and features. With the urgency to address climate change, these findings can guide climate advocacy organizations in developing strategies tailored to each platform’s specific characteristics for maximum effectiveness. This study highlights the significance of using computational methods in efficiently uncovering meaningful themes from extensive visual data and quantifying aesthetic features in strategic communication.

Climatization and Declimatization

Abstract Climate change forces a reckoning with the ecological side effects of fossil-fuel-based industrial development, requiring an incorporation of climate issues into the mainstream structures of society. In this perspective article, we address this as a “climatization” process directed at aligning society with climate imperatives. We focus on the contingent dynamics of “climatization” and show how contention may be avoided by “declimatizing” climate action. Here, we emphasize the immediate co-benefits of climate action as against more distant climate benefits. “Declimatization” is therefore a strategic move: it is distinct from the “anti-climatization” backlash, though it is often figured as a reflexive response to it. We draw on climate anthropology, climate advocacy, and climate movement theory, and provide brief insights into de/climatization in Germany, India, and Australia.

Storytelling and worldmaking climate justice futures: Indigenous climate advocacy and transnational solidarity in UN climate conferences

ABSTRACT This essay analyzes statements made by the International Indigenous People’s Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) at the United Nations Climate Change Conferences from 2017–2021 to amplify how Indigenous speakers navigate international climate negotiations and build transnational networks of solidarity through their storytelling. In looking at statements, speeches, and panels from Indigenous advocates connected with the IIPFCC, I argue Indigenous storytelling braids together temporal, place, and felt knowledges into constellations of what Tiara Na’puti calls “resilience rhetorics,” or rhetorical patterns of meaning-making across texts that rhetorically (re)iterate colonial discourses of resilience around Indigenous adaptability, relationality, and reciprocity with more-than-humans. Constellations of resilience rhetorics coalesce relational ways of knowing, connect stories through Indigenous resiliency, resist market-based, colonial solutions to climate change, and empower Indigenous international leadership in the cultivation of climate justice futures. In building on Na’puti’s work through a focus on Indigenous storytelling as worldmaking, constellations as rhetorical patterns of (re)iterated resiliency across texts, and temporal, place, and felt knowledges as relational epistemologies foregrounded in Indigenous storytelling, I argue constellations of resilience rhetorics are forms of international coalition-building that counter colonial apocalyptic temporalities, spatialities, and affectivities and center Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination in climate justice solutions.