Social mobilization on climate change and energy: An evaluation of research projects in British Columbia, Canada

Substantial public engagement in and support for climate action is needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change from occurring. Efforts to boost such engagement can be collectively referred to as “social mobilization” initiatives, which can take a number of forms, from government-led planning processes to neighbourhood-scale grassroots initiatives. Such programs hold significant promise in their ability to lower perceptual barriers about climate change and increase motivation for action through various forms of engagement, learning and hands-on involvement. However, evaluations of the necessary components for the success of such programs remain scarce. To address this gap, we evaluate eight research projects that focused on developing and/or evaluating novel social mobilization initiatives on energy and climate change mitigation in the province of British Columbia, Canada. We identify the components of successful social mobilization projects and explore transferable lessons to future initiatives or programs designed to engage and mobilize citizens on climate change. Our findings indicate that social mobilization on climate change can be effectively fostered via multiple pathways. However, several barriers and limitations to effective community engagement on climate change are also identified, along with implications for other regions and researchers attempting to scale up societal responses to climate change.