The Role of Trust, Confidence and Expert Credibility for Climate Change Mitigation

Citation:

Viktoria Cologna. 2021. “The Role of Trust, Confidence and Expert Credibility for Climate Change Mitigation”. Thesis Type: phdDoctoral Thesis.

Abstract:

Current consumption patterns are a strong accelerator of climate change. Therefore, switching to low-carbon lifestyles would be an effective way for individuals to mitigate climate change. However, grasping the manifold risks of climate change and evaluating related behavioural decisions can be a cognitively demanding task, especially when knowledge is limited or information is not readily available. When faced with such uncertainty, individuals often rely on experts in their decision-making process. In fact, trusting experts, such as climate scientists, can help us to reduce the cognitive complexity involved in behavioural decisions and guide decision-making. Against this backdrop, the aims of this dissertation are to (1) quantify the relationship between the public’s trust in scientists and the uptake of pro-environmental behaviours, (2) examine how climate scientists’ political engagement, such as advocacy, affects their credibility and (3) investigate how confidence in technology affects willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviours.

Notes:

Accepted: 2021-12-10T08:31:40Z