Our mission is to create the social climate in Australia for effective action on climate change.
Our theory of change is based on social research that tells us that social change happens through conversation. People process information, commit to ideas and action when in dialogue with people that they trust. Our work, therefore, enables people to have better, more constructive conversations about climate change and climate action.
Here is a list of articles that inform and support our work:
Australian attitudes on climate change
The Five Australias Study - a summary by Climate Reality
Hine, D.W., Reser, J., Phillips, W. J., Cooksey, R, Marks, A. D. G. , Nunn, P., Watt, S.E., Bradley, G.L., Glendon, A.I. (2013). Identifying climate change interpretive communities in a large Australian sample. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 36, 229-239
The Five Australias Study - full article
Cooksey Ray, Nunn Patrick, Phillips Wendy J, Morrison Mark, Reser Joseph P, Hine Donald W. Audience segmentation and climate change communication: conceptual and methodological considerations. WIREs Clim Change 2014, 5: 441-459. doi: 10.1002/wcc.279
Lowy Institutue Poll: https://lowyinstitutepoll.lowyinstitute.org/climate-change-and-energy/
Essential Media Polling: https://essentialvision.com.au/?s=climate+change&searchbutton=Search
Climate of the Nations 2018, The Australian Institute: https://www.tai.org.au/content/climate-nation-2018
Sustainability Victoria, 2017, Victorians Perceptions of Climate Change: https://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/About-us/Research/Victorians-perceptions-of-climate-change
Janine Chapman, Somayeh Parvazian & Natalie Skinner (2017) How do Australians rate as environmental citizens? An international comparative analysis of environmental concern and action, Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 24:2, 117-132, DOI:10.1080/14486563.2017.1310674 https://doi.org/10.1080/14486563.2017.1310674
Anne Leitch (2011), "Understanding Emotional Responses to Climate Change", Ecos Magazine, Issue 160, CSIRO Publishing: http://www.ecosmagazine.com/?paper=EC10103
B Tranter, Z Skrbis, (2014), "Political and social divisions over climate change among young Queenslanders", Volume: 46 issue: 7, page(s): 1638-1651, https://doi.org/10.1068/a46285
B Tranter, (2013), "The Great Divide: Political Candidate and Voter Polarisation over Global Warming in Australia" Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 59, Number 3, 2013, pp.397-413.
Rebecca Huntley, 29 January 2020, ABC, "Climate change splits the public into six groups. Understanding them is key to future action"
The power of conversations and diffusion of innovations
"A communication channel is the means by which messages get from one individual to another. Mass media channels are more effective in creating knowledge of innovations, whereas inter-personal channels are more effective in forming and changing attitudes toward a new idea, and thus in influencing the decision to adopt or reject a new idea. Most individuals evaluate an innovation not on the basis of scientific research by experts but through the subjective evaluations of near peers who have adopted the innovation. These near peers thus serve as role model, whose innovation behavior tends to be imitated by others in their system."
HOFFMANN, Volker (ed.) 2011:Knowledge and Innovation Management. Module Reader. Hohenheim
University.
Everett ROGERS, 2003: The Diffusion of Innovations. Fifth Edition. The Free Press, New York
Other Articles
Tracy Matsue Loefelholz, 2020, Yes Magazine, "How Social Change Happens"
Dan Rubin, 2019, Medium, "How to have a useful conversation about climate change in 11 steps"
"Now Australian cities are choking on smoke, will we finally talk about climate change?"