Climate change, science and community

Public Underst Sci. 2012 Apr;21(3):268-85. doi: 10.1177/0963662511421711.

Abstract

Climate change offers serious challenges to the effectiveness of science, communication, and community. It demands us to look back upon what we have done in regard to science and technology. In addition, it leads us to examine human efforts invested to solve collective, shared problems by communication and community. The process of behavior per se is found to be greatly overlooked in the establishment sciences, both natural and social, and in both theory and practice. A theory of behavior is introduced and explicated as a platform to solve such commons' problems as climate change. Finally, we find principled ways to improve effectiveness of communication and community by developing human capabilities so that we can win our battle against climate change and other potential tragedies of the commons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Behavior
  • Climate Change*
  • Communication
  • Decision Making
  • Global Warming
  • Humans
  • Problem Solving