A recently published opinion paper in PLOS CLIMATE highlighted the importance of social science in climate action. According to the paper, social change as well as technological improvements are needed to achieve the goals of climate action as well as to improve people's quality of life and ensure the prosperity of both the economy and the eco-system. People must be at the center of climate action to achieve the urgent social changes required by the IPCC report to address climate change.

The authors asserted that climate change solutions will not be solved by technological breakthroughs or new climate models alone. It requires knowledge from the social sciences that can commit people and present a vision of what society should be like. In particular, social science has an important role to play in setting up effective interventions to achieve both the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and social goals such as well-being, equity, and equality.

Reference
Patrick Devine-Wright et al, Placing people at the heart of climate action, PLOS Climate (2022). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pclm.0000035

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Director, Information Program)