Looking forward to visiting Emory University for the first time this fall for a talk in Environmental Sciences on Friday November 14. Many thanks to my lovely host: Dr. Stacy-ann Robinson. See you there.
Lab meetings
Our semester lab meetings have begun. Some members shown above. From left to right: Wenrui (PhD student), Nysa (highschool), John (Professor), Victor (PhD student), Ty (Junior), Jax (Sophomore), Quinn (Sophomore), and on screen Spoorti (UPenn Alum). Missing are Kasie (Masters) and Shaz (Professor). Here we go ☀️
New paper out: Combining personal and political action most popular climate solution narrative
In joint work with Gregg Sparkman, Joel Ginn, and Elke Weber, our new paper “Americans and policymakers underestimate endorsement for the most popular climate solution narrative, combining personal and political action” is out in Nature’s Communication Earth & Environment.
A wide variety of existing narratives describe how we might address climate change. Which of these approaches is popular among the American public? Do the general public and their elected officials accurately perceive which climate solutions are popular? We assess personal endorsement and perceptions of public support in national representative samples of the U.S. public (N = 1500) and local-level U.S. policymakers (N = 500). Proactive narratives, like ones advocating for both personal behavior and policy action, are widely endorsed, but both the public and policymakers greatly underestimate their popularity (a case of pluralistic ignorance), especially for narratives calling for systemic change. Greater endorsement of these narratives corresponded to greater willingness to take personal and political actions and support climate policy. We also find experimental exposure to some climate narratives (N = 2060) may increase participants’ behavioral intentions and policy support, suggesting which narratives are spread in popular media is important to help address climate change.
Alternate dimension mill
The latest project from MDWST Fable, Alternate Dimension Mill will explore more positive ways to imagine our collective future via talks and performances from other dimensions.
Join us for a playful and speculative excursion into alternate dimensions organized around five sets of guests reflecting on topics essential to our lives in this dimension: climate (IU scholar Shahzeen Attari), war (engineer Sami Koutsares), art (artist Jon Vickers, poet Terry Sloan, and musician Jason Fickel), music (saxophonist and bandleader Peyton Womock), and the spirit of the city (local politics expert Steve Volan), what makes our town our town.
These guests will appear on April 19, 2025 at the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium at 3:30 PM. Admission is free, though audience members should be aware that a short questionnaire may be required for entry. Portal visualizations will be provided by NYC video artist Daniel McKleinfeld.
“[T]he main goal of the Alternate Dimension Mill is to suggest that nothing has to be the way it is,” notes Rice. “We could have a shared future we love, no matter what dimension we find ourselves in. Dystopia isn’t the only option,” adds Newyear.
Spring 2025 Bloomington Symposium Ecologies
I will be in conversation with Sara Gregg and Morten Oxenboell on Saturday.
