Rhode Island Sea Grant

Climate Change & Human Behavior

The science of climate change has made significant advances over the past decade, and strong scientific consensus has evolved. However, we have a limited understanding of how to best build stakeholder ability to proactively adapt to sea level rise. To broaden this understanding, an interdisciplinary project that draws on communication and behavioral science, as well as climate change research is underway, The project, the Climate Change Collaborative (CCC), has formed to: 1) develop a synthesis of climate change research relevant to coasts that is credible, current, and accessible, 2) apply a behavior change model from the public health arena to coastal communities coping with environmental and socio-economic impacts of climate change, 3) build the capability of academics, extension staff, and decision-makers to effectively communicate the science and implications of climate change to citizens and motivate them toward proactive behavior change, and 4) use Rhode Island as a living laboratory to start communities on the path to becoming more aware of the implications of climate change and thus more confident of, and ultimately capable of, incorporating adaptation in community planning.