Applying Social Learning to Climate Communications—Visualising ‘People Like Me’ in Air Pollution and Climate Change Data

Abstract

Technological approaches to carbon emission and air pollution data modelling consider where the issues are located and what is creating emissions. This paper argues that more focus should be paid to people—the drivers of vehicles or households burning fossil fuels (‘Who’) and the reasons for doing so at those times (‘Why’). We applied insights from social psychology (social identity theory and social cognitive theory) to better understand and communicate how people’s everyday activities are a cause of climate change and air pollution. A new method for citizen-focused source apportionment modelling and communication was developed in the ClairCity project and applied to travel data from Bristol, U.K. This approach enables understanding of the human dimension of vehicle use to improve policymaking, accounting for demographics (gender or age groups), socio-economic factors (income/car ownership) and motives for specific behaviours (e.g., commuting to work, leisure, shopping, etc.). Tailored communications for segmented in-groups were trialled, aiming to connect with group lived experiences and day-to-day behaviours. This citizen-centred approach aims to make groups more aware that ‘people like me’ create emissions, and equally, ‘people like me’ can take action to reduce emissions.

Delivering citizen science online and hybrid: impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on recruitment and engagement

“…5) Logistics: Bring individuals from a neighbourhood together online during the project to find common ground and work together. Grounded in social identity (Tajfel, 1974) and social cognitive/learning theory (Cialdini et al, 1990), norm setting and seeing 'people like me' in citizen science projects can motivate and inspire (Fogg-Rogers et al, 2021). 6) Logistics: Make the live online environment intimate, for example, split participants into smaller groups/rooms during online sessions to allow everyone the chance to talk and share their thoughts; make space and time to get to know one another; break the ice.…”

The Commuting Patterns and Health Effects among Urban Residents in Low-Visibility Air Pollution Environments: An Empirical Study of Gaoyou City, China

“…When the visual distance is generally around 10 m, the speed of motor vehicles should be controlled below 5 km per hour [3]. Owing to severe air pollution, which can reduce travel visibility and result in varying degrees of traffic congestion, some private car owners choose public transportation [6]. Therefore, air pollution may reduce residents' willingness to travel and affect their choice of transportation; its mechanism of action is multifaceted [7].…”

Correlates of Climate Change Action Communication Modalities in the United States

“…Initially, research on climate change communication focused on how to accurately present the science that validated the existence and impact of climate change on individual-level behaviors. For example, a study in Northern Canada found that talking with family and friends about climate change was associated with a measure of individual-level climate change behaviors, such as recycling and reducing beef consumption [6]. However, to increase the probability that climate change communication will lead to actions, communication about climate change needs to provide information about the actions necessary to address it, as well as encourage, support, and symbolically reward activism [7,8].…”