Washington: According to the researchers at the University of Exeter, Tackling the climate crisis can only be achieved by "placing people at the heart of climate action", say researchers. The research team, led by the University of Exeter, warned against relying solely on breakthroughs in climate science and technology. Instead, they say social science can help engage people and societies, and ensure a green transition that is both effective and promotes other goals such as wellbeing, equity, and fairness. The paper is the first to be published by the new Advancing Capacity for Climate and Environment Social Science (ACCESS) programme. "To meet our climate goals, we need both profound societal change and continued technical improvements," said ACCESS team leader Professor Patrick Devine-Wright, from the University of Exeter.
"This dual approach can improve people's quality of life, reduce emissions and ensure thriving economies and ecosystems. If people are at the heart of climate action, then understanding and tackling climate change cannot be done by engineers or natural scientists alone. All disciplines need to work together - not least a range of social sciences including political science, sociology, geography, and psychology - to find solutions in ways that achieve wider societal goals." Professor Devine-Wright, of Exeter's Department of Geography and the Global Systems Institute, was a Lead Author on the recent report from Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III.