Pair hope to change the climate of debate
TWO academics at Edge Hill University will lead and influence a new global environmental agenda to explore behavioural change in relation to sustainability and climate change.
Because of their expertise in the field, Prof Geoff Beattie from the department of psychology and Dr Laura McGuire, of the faculty of education, have been invited to sit on a new steering committee hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris.
The group is the leading global environmental authority setting the agenda for development.
They will be members of the new International Panel on Behaviour Change (IPBC), set up to explore behaviour change in relation to sustainability.
Prof Beattie said: “I’m sustainable clearly excited by all of this. Since I came to Edge Hill University, I’ve argued consistently that, when it comes to climate change, people are the main problem and the principal conduit for meaningful action.
“This new UN group will be an incredible vehicle to promote change in this domain.
“It gives us such an opportunity to do good.”
As part of their wider mission to encourage people to think about their actions in relation to protecting the planet, Prof
Beattie and Dr McGuire discussed the topic of behaviour change and the psychology of climate change at a special Institute For Social Responsibility knowledgeexchange event entitled Sustainability In The Region which took place on Wednesday, November 6.
They also hosted an interactive psychological test booth which gave an insight into test-takers’ real responses to carbon consumption by tracking their eye movements and challenging their implicit attitudes to images of carbon consumption.
Prof Beattie added: “It’s a fun demonstration of our research but it can reveal some uncomfortable truths.
“Everyone knows about climate change and most of us would say we really care and want to make a positive change but our implicit attitudes, which can be affected by cost for example, often suggest the opposite.
“People just don’t seem to be getting the message, despite people like Greta Thunberg and movements like Extinction Rebellion.
“A lot of that is to do with personal vulnerability and optimism bias; we can’t accept the fact that it could happen to us, we think it’s a problem for future generations or other countries.”
The organisation of the Sustainability in the Region event was led by renewable energy expert Prof Christopher Dent from the business school with the help of a wideranging team of Edge Hill University staff.
Talks were given on the holistic, interconnected nature of sustainability, including Prof John Sandars’s discussion of Developing Sustainable Communities For Sustainable Improvement In Health and Prof Paul Aplin’s talk, Where’s The Swamp Gone For Peat’s Sake?
Other subjects were palm oil sustainability in Malaysia’s tropical forest and Cllr Adrian Owens of Our West Lancashire considered Community Leadership For Sustainability – How The Borough Council Can Be A Force For Positive Change.
Representatives from the 2030 Hub, Chamber Low Carbon, Northwest Ecological Trust, The Bike Works and Liverpool World Centre also spoke.
Display stalls included Action For Refugees, SDG Network, Burscough Community Farm, Ecobricks, DS Smith Recycle Packaging, My Life, Leigh Film Society, Ormskirk And Skelmersdale food banks, and West Lancashire Borough Council Ranger Service, with lunch provided by Junk Food Café, an ethical social enterprise.
The event was part of a wider health, safety and environmental policy in place at Edge Hill as part of its commitment to managing its own environmental impact.