Tip the scales | The Press

In mid-August, the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, woke Quebecers from their summer torpor by affirming that the province’s automobile fleet needed to be halved. According to him, the population must realize that they will have to change their habits to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The challenge promises to be significant, because in addition to the barriers that are the lack of public transport and the size of the territory, there is an important psychological dimension. To reduce dependence on solo driving, we must also consider the pleasure of driving, the feeling of freedom and the social status that comes with the car, underline the authors of a study commissioned by the Commission on Transport and Works. public of the City of Montreal¹.

Also, even when they are convinced of the importance of reducing their GHG, many citizens are slow to take action. It is to take this step between awareness and behavior change that psychologists want to use their knowledge.

Faced with the scale of the challenges, here and elsewhere, psychologists are urging governments to include them in thinking about mitigation and adaptation to climate change. “Psychological research is key to the success of these efforts,” argued the Canadian Psychological Association in a position statement published in 2021².

A vital contribution

For Robert Gifford, professor and researcher in environmental psychology at the University of Victoria, the contribution of psychology is essential in the application of all public policies.

“For any issue, whether it’s tobacco or seat belts, you could create the most perfect policy in the world, it takes people to implement it and create messages for citizens. This is where psychology comes in, trying to get the average voter to vote for good policies. What we do is research into which messages are more effective than others. »

With researchers from the laboratory he directs (Environmental, Social and Personality Psychology Lab), he is looking at 22 pairs of messages to establish their effectiveness.

He cites the example of sacrifices. “We told a group of people at the start of an investigation: ‘Because climate change is here, we’re all going to have to make sacrifices. So, what are you ready to do?” To another we said: ‘We are facing climate change. You can help us in some way. What are you ready to do?” This is what we call the opposition between sacrifice andempowerment. Which message do you think worked best? »

Professor of communication and environmental psychology at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), Anne-Sophie Gousse-Lessard says she has been “fighting” for a long time for better recognition of the relevance of environmental psychology in the context of socio-ecological crisis. This vast field of study, which touches on communication, social work and sociology, is little taught in Quebec. He is interested in both the impact of the environment on human well-being and vice versa.

Both for changing behavior and for adapting to the consequences of global warming, “research in environmental psychology can provide new insights,” believes the person who is requested by various organizations interested in the ecological transition.

To determine the different phases of change in which individuals find themselves, psychographic studies are very useful. Rather than trying to convince the refractory, they allow us to focus on those who are open to taking action, who are weighing the pros and cons of a change or who do not know where to start.

The breakthrough of social sciences

Canada is not at the global forefront in integrating psychology into the development and implementation of public policies. However, governments are starting to pay attention to it, notes Robert Gifford, who is known for his research on behavioral barriers with regard to climate change. In 2019, he was invited to Ottawa to speak with the deputy minister and several assistant deputy ministers of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).

“The Government of Canada knows that the country needs to do more, faster and that awareness alone is not enough to change things,” says Samantha Bayard, spokesperson for the Department, by email. ECCC’s participation [aux travaux du Programme de recherche appliquée sur l’action pour le climat au Canada] provides data on what motivates these choices and determines the obstacles to more ambitious climate action. »

The move away from fossil fuel-based home heating systems, energy-efficient residential renovations and the shift to electric vehicles are among the topics studied in this research.

Also in Quebec, the Ministry of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks (MELCCFP) and Hydro-Québec open their doors to social science experts.

Researchers and experts in psychology, in particular, were consulted before the development of the Mobilization Strategy for Climate Action 2022-2027, indicates Marjorie Larouche, team leader of press relations and social media at MELCCFP .

The action plan provides, among other things, for the organization of discussions around climate issues. These “climate dialogues” are based on research findings such as the existence of a phenomenon of social distance with regard to climate change, the division of opinions and the rise of eco-anxiety.

At Hydro-Québec, it is sociology that supports the energy transition. Since 2020, sociologists have been working at the Hydro-Québec Research Institute (IREQ) to study how different segments of the population consume energy and reflect on the impacts of the development of technological solutions. Used by other electricity producing companies around the world, including Electricité de France, this field of practice even has a name: the sociology of energy.

“The energy transition is considered by many as an essentially energy transition with a more social component,” notes Marie-Andrée Leduc, researcher at IREQ, engineer and holder of a certificate in sociology. Here, we consider that the energy transition is essentially a social transition with a technological component. It’s a change of point of view. »

A collective challenge

At the City of Montreal, Marie-Philippe Chouinard is the first to occupy the position of expert in behavioral change at the Office of Ecological Transition and Resilience, created three years ago.

Its work consists of targeting the barriers to the adoption of new behaviors and implementing intervention strategies to break them down. She is currently interested in the elimination of fuel oil in residential buildings and food waste, for which projects will be developed shortly.

“We can’t take it with a cookie cutter,” she said. We want to create a collective narrative that makes sense, so that the environment is integrated into the identity of Montrealers. People need to have a sense of belonging and feel that we are working together in the same direction. » May they also feel that the responsibility to act does not rest only on their shoulders.