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Environmental Psychology Groningen

@epgroningen.bsky.social

730 followers 710 following 440 posts

Environmental Psychology department at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen 🍃

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · Nov 18

Wow. We've gotten A LOT of new followers since 5 November. Thanks, and welcome! 👋🏼

Here's a quick (re)introduction: We're researchers at @unigroningen.bsky.social studying the role of #behavior in #climate change!

You can find our papers, news and blogs right here:

epgroningen.nl

Reposted by Environmental Psychology Groningen

IIASA @iiasa.ac.at · Sep 9

“Softening climate goals? That would be irresponsible.”
IIASA Program Director Keywan Riahi, one of the world’s leading climate scientists and a member of the EU’s Scientific Advisory Board, is urging policymakers to stand firm on the EU’s 2040 climate target. Read the full interview ⏬

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

@rug-gmw.bsky.social @rug.nl @cellpress.bsky.social

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

“By targeting psychological factors that have a strong relationship with energy saving behavior – like feelings of agency, attitudes about saving energy, and personal moral feelings about energy saving - decision-makers increase the likelihood that their programs will work."

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

Better understanding what motivates these personal & intimate choices can accelerate the green energy transition. Campaigns to boost energy saving at home can target how capable people feel of saving energy and find ways to remind people of the other pro-environmental actions they already do.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northern New Mexico College Steph Zawadzki and her co-authors focused on energy use at home because it represents 20% of all energy use for the grid. They found self-efficacy has the strongest relation with home energy saving.

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

Making the sustainable energy transition a reality requires the general public’s support and cooperation, which is why it's crucial for policy makers to understand the likeliest reasons for people to choose to conserve electricity at home. Our colleagues set out to identify what those reasons are.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 16h

Out now: a new meta-analysis by former and current EP Groningen researchers finds that feeling like our own actions will make a difference appears to be the biggest deciding factor when it comes to more sustainable energy use and energy conservation at home: www.cell.com/cell-reports...

🧵

A meta-analytic review of why people save energy at home

Identifying which factors are most predictive of home energy consumption and saving behaviors is urgently needed. This article reports the largest and most comprehensive meta-analysis of this interdis...

www.cell.com

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 22h

The lab group that researches together also (almost) wins pub quizzes together: a bunch of our colleagues came in a very respectable 2nd place in the great green pub quiz as part of @rug.nl's sustainability week!

There's one more event tonight to end the week: www.rug.nl/about-ug/pro...

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 1d

that's a fair point. it's also important to keep in perspective that globally, around 89 percent of people want more climate action, and only around 10% of people (in America) are actually dismissive of climate change: climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/projec...

Global Warming's Six Americas - Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

Global Warming's Six Americas.

climatecommunication.yale.edu

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

This game by @financialtimes.com shows the positive results of high impact (and high effort) sustainability measures, yet
mostly overlooks the role of behavior change (with only a few solutions involving personal action). System change and behavior change are both crucial

ig.ft.com/climate-game/

The Climate Game — Can you reach net zero?

See if you can save the planet from the worst effects of climate change

ig.ft.com

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

You can read the full paper in @pnas.org here: www.pnas.org/doi/epub/10....

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

www.pnas.org

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

The moral of this story:
✅ Many people say they care about the environment and others.
✅ It does no harm to be less cynical about this, even if actions do not (yet) follow.
👉 In fact, the discrepancy between what people say and do often points to where change needs to take place

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

Support quickly evaporates when the prevailing feeling is that people are being treated unfairly, that too many concessions are being made, or that there’s a hidden agenda, all of which are feelings that are also fuelled by cynicism.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

➡️ It’s often thought that people mainly oppose sustainable measures out of self-interest, but it’s actually people’s concerns about the fairness and sincerity of measures that seem to play a greater role.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

➡️ Action often lags behind because it is not yet sufficiently possible, logical, or reasonable in today's society.

The physical and social context has to change in order to enable people to take action, but cynicism often prevents people, businesses, and governments from changing the context.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

While this lack of action often fuels cynicism and is used to cast doubt on what people say, the reality is often more nuanced.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

Main takeaways:

🌍 Most people (including right-wing voters):
- say they care a lot about the environment and climate, and
- want governments to do (much) more in this area

❎ Yet people are unable to translate this into sufficient action.

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 2d

Meet the team! PhD Cedric Meyer is researching the role of farmer’s identities in the sustainable agriculture transition in the Netherlands as part of ReGeNL:

youtube.com/shorts/uNNds...

Meet the team: Cedric Meyer

YouTube video by Environmental Psychology Groningen

youtube.com

Reposted by Environmental Psychology Groningen

Dr. Jonathan Foley @globalecoguy.bsky.social · 9d

Very cool! The BBC is featuring the new SHIFT website that we built with @kimberlynicholas.bsky.social to advance tailored, science-based personal climate actions.

www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Care about climate change? The evidence shows these are the most impactful actions you can take

Care about climate change? Here's what the evidence shows are the most effective things you can do.

www.bbc.com

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 3d

New commentary paper by our colleague @thijsbouman.bsky.social in @pnas.org on turning mass public support for proenvironmental goals into concrete actions:
"Limited environmental action may be explained by a lack of ability or opportunity, rather than a lack of caring"
@rug.nl @rug-gmw.bsky.social

Turning mass support for environmental goals into action | PNAS

Turning mass support for environmental goals into action

www.pnas.org

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Reposted by Environmental Psychology Groningen

Wouter Poortinga @wouterpoortinga.bsky.social · 8d

As part of our Infra4NextGen project, @ess-survey.bsky.social has just released a new data summary that brings together insights from the European Social Survey, European Values Study, and the International Social Survey Programme...

infra4nextgen.com/wp-content/u... (1/)

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Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 7d

What kind of energy policy could we have if average people were part of discussions and decisions on energy matters? Our colleague PhD candidate Adrien Chanteloup and coauthors interviewed Dutch & French citizens about what they thought just energy governance could look like

@rug-gmw.bsky.social

Citizens' creative capital in energy governance: enacting inclusive energy governance in the Netherlands and France

Citizens are, and will be, increasingly impacted by climate change and the energy transition. However, citizens are more often excluded from the gover…

www.sciencedirect.com

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 8d

These findings were actually from a survey and published in an online tool, which you can search through yourself if you would like to see more specific details: capableclimate.eu/online-tool/

CAPABLe online tool – Capable Climate

capableclimate.eu

Environmental Psychology Groningen @epgroningen.bsky.social · 9d

After a summer of heatwaves worsened by climate change, a new study shows EU citizens support climate policy like investments in/subsidies for train travel. But taxes on polluting behaviors such as flying or meat consumption are less popular:

www.rug.nl/gmw/news/251...

@rug-gmw.bsky.social

EU-burgers over klimaatmaatregelen: steun voor subsidies, tegen belastingen

Na een zomer met meerdere hittegolven die erger worden gemaakt door klimaatverandering, laat een nieuwe studie zien dat veel EU-burgers bereid zijn...

www.rug.nl

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Reposted by Environmental Psychology Groningen

Climate Crisis Advisory Group @climatecrisisag.bsky.social · 17d

Cutting methane is one of the fastest ways to slow climate heating.

Our new report explains how methane abatement can deliver cooling within years -- and why solutions are affordable, available, and urgent.

Read: www.ccag.earth/reports/meth...

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