In his talk on “The Climate of Things,” Professor Dan Rabinowitz of Tel Aviv University argued that the magnitude of climate change warrants a reexamination of modernist social science. Rather than using other disciplines to guide knowledge of the universe, his “fifth environmental paradigm” uses the climate crisis to reexamine the validity of those other disciplines.

New research from the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions finds that personal legacy can be a motivator to encourage pro-environmental behaviors.

New research from the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions sheds light on how best to present information on U.S. fuel economy labels. Consumers choose fuel-efficient vehicles more frequently when fuel economy is expressed in terms of the cost of gas on a long term, 100,000-mile scale. The scale currently used on the U.S. fuel economy label (15,000 miles per year) produced the weakest preference for fuel-efficient vehicles in this study.

Learn about improving communication of and planning for natural hazards from a social science perspective at AGU2013.

How can the full range of the social sciences be brought into research on climate change and the search for solutions? The roles of economics and political science seem crucial, since pricing mechanisms and policies are needed to promote mitigation and to support adaptation. Psychology explores the ways to make this problem, often seen as distant and uncertain, stand out more prominently in human thinking and motivation. Sociology studies the variety of organizations, such as urban governments and consumer groups, which address climate change. Anthropology, though, might seem too remote, and too focused on traditional cultures or ancient civilizations, to have much to offer.