Behaviour Change in A Changing Climate: Scoping Paper in Support of Missions-Based Research and Innovation for the BWA Consortium

The Behaviour Works Australia Consortium produced this report to investigate how behavioural public policy could potentially help with climate adaptation, and the risks and opportunities this presents. It is a scoping aid for a proposed collaborative research and innovation mission. We found that systemic behavioural public policy experiments could have a substantial positive impact on climate adaptation.

Achieving that impact requires:
1. Careful problem definition to refine the focus for intervention with a clear line of sight between the intervention and impact on (publicly valued) outcomes
2. Applying frameworks that identify behaviour changes with incremental through to transformative potential
3. Prioritising transformative behaviour changes over more incremental, but addressing a portfolio of both to hedge chances, via a ‘multi-level’ strategy connecting changes across scales.
4. Taking smart risks to make a difference, and therefore anticipating potentially upsetting incumbent interests, at least initially
5. Adopting a pro-actively participatory, transparent and co-design orientated approach to manage risks and realise opportunities

Problem definition: Our review of the evidence and stakeholder views recommends a focus on behaviour changes related to the combined, cumulative impacts of multiple climate stressors on vulnerable populations. For example: the elderly, low income households, children and/or people with pre-existing health conditions. This would ideally be place based – e.g. one or more communities in regional Australia, and/or the disadvantaged inland fringe of major cities. Further work is required to specify how many populations, which climate impacts, and what harms, however we feel this follows fairly directly from identifying a priority combination of people, problem and place. The proposed prioritisation process can help identify this.

Multi-level strategy: Target behaviours would include a mix of behaviours with individual and collective benefits and visibility, and therefore with the potential to contribute to adaptive capacity increases at multiple levels. This focus would fit the approach outlined above and detailed in the paper. This could include exploring the potential of nature-based solutions depending on behaviour
change to succeed – for example engaging residents of an urban fringe low income estate to plant street verge indigenous food gardens that reduce heat stress, encourage social connection, reduce water consumption and enhance food security, while also generating feedback loops to powerful actors. Similarly facilitating a voluntary collective agreement for a ‘planned retreat’ informed by
behavioural public policy techniques would require engaging with individual, group, institutional and societal dynamics to succeed.

Taking smart risks: This focus on multi-level changes and potentially gaining the attention of powerful interests can maximise the opportunity, and minimize the risks, by having a clear public value case, drawing on the four points above. For example – by engaging with legal, infrastructure and resourcing barriers to street verge planting, species availability or learning from traditional owners
and rural food producers in the nature-based example, and/or managing conflicting priorities and interests in development, land use, revenue bases etc raised by planned retreats from climate exposed locations.

Pro-active participation and co-design: Involving a broad base of stakeholders in the development of the program, via the activities proposed below, can help achieve these goals. Linking community groups, charities, researchers, levels of government, and pro-active industry will all be important in this via the prioritisation process, and participation in the co-design bootcamp.