EVERYONE has heard of climate change.

The issue has received increasing media attention over the last couple of decades and Government information campaigns tell us that we should “do our bit” to tackle the issue and prevent risks associated with rising temperatures and increased weather extremes.

But I’ve found in my research that many people find the issue abstract, uncertain, complex – or frankly irrelevant to their day-to-day lives.

In fact, the proportion of people saying they are concerned about climate change has dropped over the last few years, and more people seem to be expressing doubts about the issue.

This is all the more surprising since the last few years have seen the scientific community become more certain than ever about the human influence on climate and the significant risks posed by climate change.

Extreme weather So, why is there this decline in public concern?

We’re not sure, but it’s likely to be linked to the economic downturn – the fact that people are too preoccupied with meeting basic day-to-day needs to think so much about environmental problems – and a growing fatigue about the hyped reporting of the issue coupled with a lack of direct evidence of climatic extremes locally.

Although this country is unlikely to see the worst impacts from climate change, we are nevertheless going to experience rising temperatures and more extreme weather events, including storms, droughts and floods.

Understandably, many would rather not think about projections of an unpleasant future and many feel the scale of the problem is too vast for individuals to address. Others, though, feel they have an obligation to act, and feel good about doing their bit to tackle climate change and contribute to a cleaner, greener future.

So, what kinds of people do care about climate change? What is it that motivates their concern? And why do others feel the issue has been hyped or that the evidence for global warming is unreliable, and that we should not waste public money on addressing it?

Our recent studies help answer these questions. Surveys of the public show the most concerned people tend to be motivated out of environmental concern and tend to hold left-of-centre political views; while the more sceptical tend to have more right-of-centre political leanings and to place less priority on environmental issues relative to other (for example, economic) concerns. Men and older people also seem to be more sceptical.

Our experiments also suggest those who are the most sceptical feel climate change – and policies to address it – threatens their way of life. The reason for the link between political preference and climate change beliefs seems to come down to the fact that tackling climate change is assumed by many to mean bringing in policies which may restrict individual choices and limit economic growth. Others, though, point to the wider benefits of tackling climate change – and this may be critical for how we engage the public with the issue.

So what are the implications for those who think we should be doing more to tackle climate change? Studies are showing there are ways in which the public can be encouraged to get involved – and it doesn’t involve giving people more bad news.

Instead of telling people about what will happen if they don’t do their bit, a better strategy is to highlight all the benefits of cutting energy use – including getting fit, saving money, and spending time with family and friends. These are the sorts of things which motivate people – irrespective of their political views or feelings about climate change.

It’s not enough, though, to give people information and hope it leads to behaviour change. We know from our interviews with members of the public that many people would like to do more for the environment, but simply feel it is too difficult, costly or time-consuming.

Barriers to action There are a range of barriers to taking action which people point to – from uncertainty about which action makes the most difference, to a lack of public transport services in their area which would enable them to use the car less.

Sometimes, people simply feel their actions are insignificant when compared to the scale of the problem. Some of these barriers are easier to tackle than others. We can provide information on what actions make the most difference, and educate children about the reasons for looking after the environment. But there also needs to be significant investment in low-carbon alternatives – such as car share schemes, bus services, local food cooperatives, home insulation and energy saving gadgets. This means actions by policy-makers and industry – but individuals can play a part here, too.

Engaging the public with climate change isn’t only about encouraging individual behaviour change. There are also opportunities for involving people in local and national decisions about how to respond to the issue, and to empower them to take ownership of the issue. This might include getting in touch with your MP to tell them you want more done to tackle climate change, or joining a community group to help make a difference.

How to achieve these broader actions has been looked at by other researchers, including Chris Shaw and David Ockwell from Sussex University.

These issues and others will be addressed by researchers at the University of Sussex and Cardiff University and a member of the Green Party as part of the Sussex Salon Series at Brighton Dome on November 1. Panellists include Dr David Ockwell, Global Studies, University of Sussex; Chris Shaw, Sociology, University of Sussex; Dr Lorraine Whitmarsh, Psychology, Cardiff