Behaviour Change
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APCivics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Climate Junction
What it is
- This article explains large-scale behavior change as a strategy for addressing the climate crisis, distinguishing between direct mitigation behaviors, indirect mitigation behaviors, and adaptation behaviors.
- Students explore how emissions and the capacity to act are distributed unequally, and why collective and organized action is central to lasting change.
Teaching tips
Prerequisites:
- Define the difference between climate mitigation and adaptation in class before engaging with this article.
Classroom Implementation:
- Prior to reading this article, facilitate a class discussion about whether individual or collective action should be prioritized in climate policy.
- Have students place a range of climate actions in the impact arrow, then defend their reasoning in small groups.
- Consider adjusting the article's reading level for your students, as it is written at a college-level.
Options for Action:
- Help students engage in climate action by using a planner like this one to identify steps towards colective behavior change.
Misconceptions:
- This article pushes back on the myth that climate adaptation and mitigation cannot coexist.
- It also emphasizes that individual action is useful and needed to inspire large-scale behavior change.
From the scientist review
This resource examines behavior change as a means to affect meaningful climate action. Numerous sources are linked in the text, often sourced from trusted scientific institutions or peer-reviewed journals. Mitigation and adaptation are presented as hand-in-hand strategies to solve the climate crisis, countering the myth that an either/or approach is feasible. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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