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Climate change is the defining existential challenge of our time. Minimizing global warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing its worst impacts will require rapid and large-scale changes to human behavior and policy—a transformation of human culture and behavior. This transformation will create a sustainable and equitable future in which all humans and nature flourish.
Why is the center necessary? C3BC will be a unique coalition of social- behavioral scientists, natural and physical scientists, humanities scholars, and creatives. The coalition will support research on strategies to effectively and sustainably change individual behavior and will creatively communicate about climate crises and solutions. Some campus initiatives examine the impacts of climate change on natural, physical, and social systems. Other initiatives examine how to design effective public policy to manage resources sustainably. Still other initiatives seek to support sustainable politics with local, state, and national decision makers. C3BC will complement these initiatives by focusing on creative communication and behavior change among individuals, groups, communities, and institutions within broader socioeconomic and natural systems. C3BC’s emphasis will be on forming a unique, equal partner coalition of scientists, humanists, and creatives from across the university and broader community to bring about more sustainable global cultural, attitudinal, and behaviorial changes. C3BC also will focus on solutions that foster social justice and flourishing for all humans.
Center Focus
- Research: produce impactful articles, books, and other scholarly products that are internationally recognized through such metrics as scholarly citation, collaboration, and grants. Researchers will collaborate across natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
- Creative Work: design innovative performances, media, fine art, and events that experiment with initiatives to inspire students, decision makers, and frontline communities to learn more about climate communication and behavior and to become active agents of change.
- Education: develop K-12, undergraduate, and graduate curricula to learn from and to integrate across traditional disciplines. Educational efforts will train future leaders in climate action, sustainable solutions, and just transitions.
- Outreach: partner with media outlets, NGOs, business leaders, cultural leaders, boundary organizations, transnational institutions, as well as local, state, and federal governments. With these partners, shape climate communication, design policies, network communities, and develop new solutions to the ecological, social, and economic challenges of the climate crisis.