In the United States, behavioral scientists are gradually responding to the imperative need to address the climate change crisis and the detrimental effects it will have on human health and well-being. The leaders of the NIH Science of Behavior Change (SOBC) program are no exception. For the past 10 years, SOBC has supported scientists to engage in a rigorous and reproducible experimental medicine approach for early-phased, evidence-based interventions and further understand and identify the underlying mechanisms of behavior change. The primary mission of SOBC is to disseminate this approach and provide resources for behavioral scientists at every level to be applied to their research in an open and accessible manner. We continue to uphold this mission by providing the scientific community with the information and opportunities available that surround climate change. As you read this, the SOBC Resource and Coordinating Center is working to create a page solely dedicated to climate change resources, events, topics, and ways to get involved.

 

On this page, you will find the Request for Information (RFI) from the National Institutes of Health that will begin efforts for the NIH to support research that is focused on climate change and health. In addition, users will have access to relevant publications, including an upcoming Special Issue in Translational Behavioral Medicine. Further, this page will offer a central location for information regarding the work of some of the leading scientific societies like, American Psychological Association’s Climate Change Task Force, Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Presidential Working Group on Climate Change, Behavior Change & Health, and American Psychosomatic Society’s Climate Change, Sustainability, & Health Special Interest Group that are bringing climate and behavioral scientists together to address these accelerating risks. In 2021, the Academy for Behavioral Medicine Research and the Society of Behavioral Medicine both focused their annual conferences around climate change and promoted more opportunities for scientists to engage in this work in a meaningful way. There will only be more chances to learn about and join initiatives dedicated to climate change. We plan for this new addition of our website to offer the scientific community a live and interactive digital space where users can learn about these emerging opportunities, provide feedback, and engage with the Resource and Coordinating Center to further address and inform climate change and health to our community. If you have any questions or comments for us, please contact us at: info@scienceofbehaviorchange.org. For up-to-date information about SOBC and when this webpage is available, please follow us on Twitter (@SOBC_RCC)!