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Behaviour Change

Provided by: Climate Junction|Published on: June 18, 2026

Articles/Websites

9101112AP

Synopsis

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.

Subjects: Civics

Authors: Paula Richter, Frida Hylander, Kata Nylén, and Kali Andersson

Region: Global

Languages: English

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.

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Resource Type and Format