For over 50 years, scientists have sounded alarms that the burning of fossil fuels is causing changes to the Earth's climate, and that failure to take action on climate change will have devastating consequences. Despite this urgency, CO2 emissions (and global temperatures) continue to climb. Progress on mitigating climate change is slowed by the stubborn persistence of climate skepticism, as well as a failure for nonskeptics to translate their concern about climate change into meaningful action. The goal of this article is to describe and synthesize research on how to understand (and reduce) this public inaction on climate change. In the first half of the article, we examine the question of how to understand (and overcome) climate change skepticism. We review international evidence regarding the role of demographics, ideologies, and conspiracist worldviews in shaping people's willingness to believe in the reality of human-caused climate change. We then review theory and research on how to successfully capture the attention of—and change the behavior of—people who traditionally resist climate change messages, such as those high in conservatism and free-market beliefs. In the second half of the article, we examine how to promote more climate-friendly behaviors among people who believe in the reality of climate change. Evidence will be reviewed suggesting that many people agree that climate change is caused by humans, but are not yet willing to make the necessary investments and sacrifices to respond to this threat. We then draw on relevant literatures to critically discuss three strategies for promoting proenvironmental behavior: (i) optimistic versus pessimistic messages; (ii) in-group versus out-group messenger effects; and (c) the use of descriptive and injunctive norms.

中文翻译：

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了解（减少）对气候变化的不作为

50多年来，科学家一直发出警报，化石燃料的燃烧正在引起地球气候的变化，对气候变化不采取行动将带来毁灭性的后果。尽管存在这种紧迫性，但二氧化碳排放量（以及全球温度）仍在继续攀升。由于气候怀疑论者的顽固坚持不懈，减缓气候变化的进展被放慢了，而且非怀疑论者未能将对气候变化的关注转化为有意义的行动。本文的目的是描述和综合有关如何理解（和减少）这种公众对气候变化不作为的研究。在本文的上半部分，我们研究了如何理解（和克服）气候变化怀疑论的问题。我们将审查有关人口统计学，意识形态，和阴谋论的世界观，以塑造人们相信人为造成的气候变化现实的意愿。然后，我们回顾有关如何成功吸引传统上抵制气候变化信息的人们（例如，保守主义和自由市场信念高的人们）的注意力并改变其行为的理论和研究。在本文的下半部分，我们将探讨如何在相信气候变化现实的人们中促进更多的气候友好行为。将审查证据，表明许多人同意气候变化是人为造成的，但还不愿意做出必要的投资和牺牲来应对这种威胁。然后，我们利用相关文献来批判性地讨论三种促进环保行为的策略：（i）乐观与悲观的讯息；（ii）组内信使效应与组外信使效应；（c）使用描述性和禁令性规范。