Climate Change: Research funding to save the world needs to be drastically stepped up

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Researchers from the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs and the University of Sussex Business School analysed USD 1.3 trillion of research funding around the world
Between 1990 and 2018, less than 4.59% of the funding was spent on climate-related research
Only 0.12% of the research funding was spent on a critical issue: how to change societies to mitigate climate change
Vast funding goes into research on the impact of climate change and adaptation to it, rather than into trying find out how it can be prevented socially
A new study shows that there is a huge disproportion in the level of funding for social science research into the greatest challenge in combatting global warming – how to get individuals and societies to overcome ingrained human habits to make the changes necessary to mitigate climate change
The analysis argues that despite many of the key climate-change puzzles residing in the social sciences (such as anthropology, economics, international relations, human geography, development studies, political science, psychology etc), these fields receive least funding for climate research
The report’s co-authors say funding of climate research appears to be based on the assumption that if natural scientists work out the causes, impacts, and technological remedies of climate change, then politicians, officials, and citizens will spontaneously change their behaviour to tackle the problem. The academics argue the evidence from the past decades shows this assumption does not hold.
With the window of opportunity for mitigating climate change narrow and closing, the researchers recommend more funding is made available for social science research on climate mitigation; improved global research funding coordination and transparency; prioritisation around key questions within the social sciences and an increase in the rigorousness of social science research
Indra Overland, who heads the Centre for Energy Research at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, said: “The one-sided emphasis on the natural sciences leaves one wondering whether funding for climate research is managed by climate sceptics. It’s as if they don’t quite believe in climate change, so they keep looking into out how it really works, rather than trying to work out how to actually stop it.
Do not lose sight of climate change as a global challenge – Although global solutions also depend on understanding the micro level, it is still surprising how little social science research goes straight for the really big issues. Part of the solution could be to organize future research efforts not around disciplines, but around urgent puzzles linked to pressing social challenges related to climate change mitigation and energy systems. This challenges-based approach to research has been relatively successful in other domains, notably national defence

The Complete Story: Small change for climate change: Why research funding to save the world needs to be drastically stepped up

University of Sussex | Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

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