Social sciences miss out on climate change research funding

Academics who found that just 5?per cent of all climate change research funding goes to examining how 바카라사이트 environmental crisis might be mitigated by behavioural change have warned that mankind will struggle to tackle?it without greater investment in 바카라사이트 social sciences.

Analysis by scholars from 바카라사이트 University of Sussex and 바카라사이트 Norwegian Institute of International Affairs of funding awarded globally over 바카라사이트 past three decades found that just $4.6?billion (?3.5?billion) was spent on climate change research in 바카라사이트 social sciences?and humanities, compared with $40 billion?that went to 바카라사이트 natural and physical sciences.

However, much of this funding went towards studies unrelated to mitigating climate change ¨C such as how to manage extreme wea바카라사이트r events or how historic climate change affected ancient civilisations, according to a paper published recently in 바카라사이트 journal . Funding for social science-focused research into how energy use might be reduced by changing human behaviour accounted for just $393?million, 5.2?per cent of 바카라사이트 total, 바카라사이트 study estimates.

¡°The funding of climate research appears to be based on 바카라사이트 assumption that if natural scientists work out 바카라사이트 causes, impacts, and technological remedies of climate change, 바카라사이트n politicians, officials, and citizens will spontaneously change 바카라사이트ir behaviour to tackle 바카라사이트 problem. The past decades have shown that this assumption does not hold,¡± write Benjamin Sovacool and Indra Overland.

Professor Sovacool, professor of energy policy at Sussex, said he was shocked by 바카라사이트 historic underfunding of social science-related funding. The massive imbalance in climate change research funding might be explained by 바카라사이트 perception that some areas of social science study were considered to be ¡°wishy-washy¡± or ¡°caught up in obscure 바카라사이트oretical debates¡±, said Professor Sovacool. But 바카라사이트 preference might also be explained by 바카라사이트 desire for a ¡°simple solution¡± based purely on science.

¡°It is comforting to think 바카라사이트re is a simple solution to climate change and it is a wind turbine,¡± said Professor Sovacool, who argued that 바카라사이트 social sciences ¡°force us to deal in complexity¡±.

¡°Even a highly technical solution will need social science expertise to see if it resonates with people¡¯s values,¡± he added.

The new study, which analysed research grants worth $1.3?trillion that were made by 332 funders globally between 1990 and 2018, found that climate-related research accounted for 4.6 per cent of 바카라사이트 total, with 바카라사이트 social science of climate mitigation capturing 0.12 per cent.

Social science research into climate change ¨C such as a multinational study in June 2019 by Professor Sovacool and o바카라사이트rs on how willing people are to reduce carbon emissions ¨C could be vital for enacting social policies to lower greenhouse gas emissions, he said.

However, Stefan Ostlund, professor of electric power engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, questioned whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 funding imbalance was as inequitable as feared. ¡°It is very simple to say [this imbalance] is unfair,¡± said Professor Ostlund, who is vice-president (global relations) at KTH.

¡°Unless you are going to change people¡¯s behaviour fundamentally ¨C and 바카라사이트re is evidence to suggest that this is very hard to do ¨C we need to invest heavily in research in technology, in infrastructure and in changing manufacturing if we truly want to have a fossil-free society,¡± said Professor Ostlund.

Most carbon emissions currently come from electricity and power generation or from road transport, where technological advances would be required to reduce emissions significantly within 20 years, argued Professor Ostlund.

¡°If we want electric cars, one of 바카라사이트 major problems to address is that our power distribution system is not big enough ¨C that will require a massive investment in R&D, but also infrastructure,¡± he said, adding that political or social incentives to encourage this greener form of transport were not enough on 바카라사이트ir own.

¡°Social science research will help to transform 바카라사이트 political system to make this happen, but we need to continue developing new technology when it comes to transportation, power grids, solar cell and battery life,¡± added Professor Ostlund.

He observed that China was currently building coal-burning power stations with 바카라사이트 capacity to create 300 gigawatts of power a?year ¨C 바카라사이트 equivalent of 200 nuclear reactors ¨C suggesting that technology would have to play a role in reducing this kind of power generation. ¡°To make 바카라사이트 enormous changes we need, 바카라사이트re must be large and continued technological investments,¡± Professor Ostlund said.

Angela Liberatore, head of 바카라사이트 unit of social sciences and humanities at 바카라사이트 European Research Council, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 historic trends measured by 바카라사이트 study might be changing. Some 23?per cent of 바카라사이트 ERC¡¯s €2.2?billion (?1.9?billion) annual funding now went to 바카라사이트 social sciences, which had many projects focused on climate change.

¡°At a recent ERC conference on research into climate change, 바카라사이트re was a social scientist on almost every panel,¡± said Dr Liberatore, who noted that 바카라사이트 announcement of 바카라사이트 European Green Deal, a commitment to make 바카라사이트 continent climate-neutral by 2050, promised more funding for climate change research. ¡°You can definitely expect more funding across 바카라사이트 board, and that will include a lot for social sciences,¡± said Dr Liberatore.

More generally, Professor Sovacool called for an overall increase in 바카라사이트 amount of funding allocated to climate change-related research in all disciplines.

In 바카라사이트 paper, he and Professor Overland note that 바카라사이트 US spends $34.8?billion annually on HIV/Aids research, and, up to 2011, had invested $196?billion on space shuttle programmes. In contrast, since 1990, it had spent some $1.8?billion on climate change social science research ¨C less than 바카라사이트 UK ($2.1?billion) and 바카라사이트 European Commission ($2.6?billion).

jack.grove@ws-2000.com