#174 – Ben Newell on The Role of Behavioural Science in Promoting Climate Action

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Ben Newell about the power of behavioral science and the role that psychology can play in motivating individuals and societies to take meaningful action on climate change. Ben Newell is Professor of Behavioural Science in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney, and Director of the  UNSW Institute for Climate Risk & Response (ICRR). His research focuses on the cognitive processes underlying judgment, choice and decision-making and the application of this knowledge to environmental, medical, financial and forensic contexts. His role in the new Institute is to drive an interdisciplinary research agenda bringing together expertise from behavioural science, climate science, economics and governance to address the risks and opportunities of climate change. He has published multiple articles on the psychology of human judgment and decision making, including those that lie at the intersection of psychology and climate change, with particular focus on the understanding of uncertainty and risk. Ben is lead author of the books Straight Choices: The Psychology of Decision Making, and Open Minded: A Search for Truth about the Unconscious Mind. Ben is a member of the Academic Advisory Panel of the Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government (BETA), and the Chief Medical Officer’s advisory group for the National Health and Climate Strategy. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/ben-newellSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.