What will it take to mitigate climate change? Maximizing norm transmission and potency for change-accelerating outcomes

Abstract

Social norms will be key in coordinating populations to mitigate climate change. But currently, people presume others are divided or tepid about key mitigation solutions, leading norms to fall short of motivating global action from individuals and institutions. What would it take to utilize norms effectively to address climate change? We review three budding lines of research that provide an answer. First, norm perceptions of entire populations can be changed through the intentional use of societal systems of norm transmission: our leaders, institutions, media, and social media. Second, norm interventions need to use potent, conformity-inducing content by focusing on malleable clusters of norms with identifiable norm referents, and steer attention to norm information where and when it best reflects proclimate sentiments. Third, we must use norm interventions to target change-accelerating outcomes, specifically to increase climate dialogue, promote relational organizing within one’s social network, and seed climate advocacy and protests.