Editing IPCC:AR6/WGIII/Chapter-1 (section)

=== 1.4.7 Social Innovation and Behaviour Change ===

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Social and psychological factors affect both perceptions and behaviour ( [[#Weber--2015|Weber 2015]] ; [[#Whitmarsh--2021|Whitmarsh et al. 2021]] ). Religion, values, culture, gender, identity, social status and habits strongly influence individual behaviours and choices, and therefore sustainable consumption (Sections 1.6.3.1 and 5.2). Identities can provide powerful attachments to consumption activities and objects that inhibit shifts away from them ( [[#Brekke--2003|Brekke et al. 2003]] ; [[#Bénabou--2011|Bénabou and Tirole 2011]] ; [[#Stoll-Kleemann--2017|Stoll-Kleemann and Schmidt 2017]] ; [[#Ruby--2020|Ruby et al. 2020]] ). Consumption is a habit-driven and social practice rather than simply a set of individual decisions, making shifts in consumption harder to pursue ( [[#Evans--2012|Evans et al. 2012]] ; [[#Shove--2013|Shove and Spurling 2013]] ; [[#Kurz--2015|Kurz et al. 2015]] ; [[#Warde--2017|Warde 2017]] ; [[#Verplanken--2021|Verplanken and Whitmarsh 2021]] ). Finally, shifts towards low-carbon behaviour are also inhibited by social-psychological and political dynamics that cause individuals to ignore the connections from daily consumption practices to climate change impacts ( [[#Norgaard--2011|Norgaard 2011]] ; [[#Brulle--2019|Brulle and Norgaard 2019]] ).

As a notable example, plant-based alternatives to meat could reduce emissions from diets ( [[#Eshel--2019|Eshel et al. 2019]] ; [[#Willett--2019|Willett et al. 2019]] ). However, diets are deeply entrenched in cultures and identities, and hard to change ( [[#Fresco--2015|Fresco 2015]] ; [[#Mylan--2018|Mylan 2018]] ). Changing diets also raises cross-cultural ethical issues, in addition to meat’s role in providing nutrition ( [[#Plumwood--2004|Plumwood 2004]] ). Henceforth, some behaviours that are harder to change will only be transformed by the transition itself: triggered by policies, the transition will bring about technologies that, in turn, will entrench new sustainable behaviours.

Behaviour can be influenced through a number of mechanisms besides economic policy and regulation, such as information campaigns, advertising and ‘nudging’. Innovations and infrastructure also impact behaviour, as with bicycle lanes to reduce road traffic. Wider social innovations also have indirect impacts. Education is increasing across the world, and higher education will have impacts on fertility, consumption and the attitude towards the environment ( [[#Osili--2008|Osili and Long 2008]] ; [[#Hamilton--2011|Hamilton 2011]] ; [[#McCrary--2011|McCrary and Royer 2011]] ). Reducing poverty and improvements in health and reproductive choice will also have implications for fertility, energy use and consumption globally. Finally, social capital and the ability to work collectively may have large consequences for mitigation and the ability to adapt to climate change ( [[#Adger--2009|Adger 2009]] ; [[#IPCC--2014a|IPCC 2014a]] [[IPCC:Wg3:Chapter:Chapter-4#4.3|Section 4.3]] .5).

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