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KLIMAFORSK-Stort program klima

From values to action: supporting Norwegians to act on their pro-environmental values through participatory workshops

Awarded: NOK 0.17 mill.

It is imperative that Norwegians begin to transform their practices in ways that reduce their carbon emissions and thus mitigate against climate change. This project will enage a cross-disciplinary team of researchers in an effort to examine value-practic e interactions and to develop a methodology to facilitate Norwegian's ability to make their actions consistent with their pro-environmental values. The pre-project revolves around an experimental study drawing on value theory in psychology and the Human S cale Development (HSD) approach in international development. It aims at clarifying how people with different value orientations respond to HSD workshops, a participatory tool designed to engage people in societal transformation. Results of the study wil l be presented and discussed at a workshop with an invited audience drawn from academia, environmental organizations and interested community groups. Based on our findings and the workshop discussions we will be better prepared to support people with div erse value orientations to engage in mitigation strategies. This knowledge will also help us to develop a full-scale proposal aimed to involve a group of Norwegians (e.g., a community, an organisation, or a neighbourhood) in a bottom-up process of change towards low-carbon lifestyles and political action. Because our focus is on 'engagement' at the personal, societal and political levels, we plan to base the full-scale proposal on an action-research project that will contribute to the process of transfor mation at the same time that our research is conducted.

Funding scheme:

KLIMAFORSK-Stort program klima