Behavior and Social Issues - Call for Papers: The Science of Behavior and Cultural Systems Analysis on the Human Response to Climate Change, Global Warming, and Related Challenges
Guest Editors: Mark Alavosius (marka@unr.edu (this opens in a new tab)), Brett Gelino (bgelino@ku.edu (this opens in a new tab)), Cynthia Pietras (cynthia.pietras@wmich.edu (this opens in a new tab))
Behavior and Social Issues (BSI) invites papers for a special section of the journal to be published in fall 2022 on the science of behavior and cultural systems analysis related to the human response to climate change, global warming, and related challenges. Despite efforts of scientists and citizens across the globe to educate citizens and motivate action on climate change, atmospheric green-house gases continue to rise and climate catastrophes are increasing in frequency (IPCC, 2018; 2021). Strategies and recent global commitments (COP26 UN Climate Change conference, 2021, https://ukcop26.org (this opens in a new tab)) designed to alter the emissions trajectory remain insufficient with progress happening too slowly.
Behavior analysts/scientists have a long history of applying principles of behavior to environmental problems. In 2010, a special section of The Behavior Analyst titled “The human response to climate change: Ideas from behavior analysis,” sought innovative strategies for applications of behavior-analytic principles that might be adopted by policy makers (Heward & Chance, 2010). ABAI held a special conference that year (“Behavior Analysis for a Sustainable World” - BASW), gathering behavior and climate scientists to discuss challenges and promote action. Thompson (2010) succinctly described three options – 1) prevent, 2) adapt, and 3) suffer as human responses to climate change. In the decade since BASW and the TBA 2010 special section, much work has been done warranting an update on efforts and Thompson’s three options help frame discussion.
For this BSI special section, we seek papers including theoretical and conceptual analyses, research articles and brief reports, dialogues, and research reviews. Behavior and Social Issues welcomes the work of senior scholars in the field, as well as the work of emerging scholars, including students, who have an interest in the contributions of a natural science of behavior towards addressing climate change.
Contributions from contrasting viewpoints will be considered if discussed in the context of behavior analysis. We recommend that potential authors examine recent issues to determine whether their work is appropriate to the journal.
Papers may be submitted via the BSI portal (https://www.editorialmanager.com/bsis/default1.aspx (this opens in a new tab)) no later than April 1, 2022. Be sure to indicate the submission is for consideration in the special section on behavior and climate change.
References:
Heward, W.L., & Chance, P. (Guest Eds.). (2010). Special section: The human response to climate change: Ideas from behavior analysis. The Behavior Analyst, 33, 145-206
IPCC, 2021: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press.
IPCC, 2018: Summary for Policymakers. In: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, 32 pp.
Thompson, L. G. (2010). Climate change: The evidence and our options. The Behavior Analyst, 33, 153-170.