Climate change impacts social, economic, political and environmental systems. It causes massive risks and uncertainties, political complications and devastating impacts, particularly to vulnerable members of society. Impacts related to climate change are evident across sectors important to society such as food security, public health, water resources, energy and transportation, ecosystems, livelihood, and gender equality, and these are expected to become heavily worsened throughout the years to come.

Since its inception, the Oscar M. Lopez Center has been expanding and evolving its knowledge base on the global climate system, its variations and impacts with the support of primarily natural and physical sciences research communities. We are, however, still growing our understanding of the social facets of climate change. 

Social science has a critical role in understanding climate change. The integration of social science aspects into climate change research can provide a deeper understanding of the social and behavioral dynamics and implications towards addressing climate change. It can also give us guidance on how to communicate climate science more effectively and encourage climate action toward building climate resilience.

Climate change is a critical environmental and social challenge. It stands apart from other societal problems not just in its urgency and scale, but also in its complexity. It is important, therefore, that action against climate change is informed by the best available scientific evidence, including evidence from the social sciences. 

We are looking for social science experts, researchers and practitioners open to collaborating on our Society and Development research program. We would like to embark on a research study on how beliefs, values, behavior and culture play a role in addressing climate change and spurring climate action. Sign up online if you are interested in building actionable knowledge and promoting climate action.