Changing How People Think and Act on Climate Change

Climate change is an urgent threat to the people and places we love. Solutions to climate change exist, but we are held back by the lack of public and political will to successfully address the issue. Put simply, the primary barriers are social and psychological in nature. In this presentation, Dr. Matthew Goldberg discusses promising climate change communication opportunities, success stories, and tools for thinking about how we generate the understanding and motivation that is needed to address climate change.

Dr. Matthew Goldberg is a Research Scientist and the Director of Experimental Research at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication at Yale University. His research focuses on persuasion, social influence, and strategic communication about climate change, renewable energy, and other urgent environmental, social, and political issues. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and scientific reports, and his research is regularly cited in prominent news outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post. In 2022, he was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science, and last year he received the Early Career Achievement Award from division 34 of the American Psychological Association for exceptional research contributions. Five years ago, he co-founded XandY—an independent research and strategy firm that helps the world’s most important ideas and innovations build momentum in society.