- Book
Climate change is a human problem: Finding the voices of climate resilience
Edited by Juhi Jain & Rahab Kariuki
- February 4, 2026
- 9:48 am
SECTOR
PROJECT TYPE
Location
BEHAVIORAL THEME
OVERVIEW
Climate Change is a Human Problem centers climate resilience on human behavior, lived experience, and social systems rather than only technology and policy. Through essays from researchers and practitioners, the book amplifies the voices of farmers, communities, and frontline actors whose decisions shape climate outcomes every day. It argues that resilience depends as much on trust, norms, perception, and behavior as it does on infrastructure or innovation.
Research Questions
- How do human behavior and systems thinking reshape our understanding of climate change and resilience?
- Why do climate-smart solutions often fail to be adopted at scale despite technical viability?
- How can behavioral insights improve environmental policy, agricultural insurance, and food systems?
- What role do community knowledge, equity, and social structures play in climate adaptation?
Methods
The book compiles essays, case studies, and applied behavioral research from multiple contexts across Africa, Europe, and Asia. Contributors draw from field research, behavioral diagnostics, systems analysis, and practitioner experience in agriculture, insurance, nutrition, and environmental policy. Real-world examples from farmers, extension agents, and communities ground the analysis in lived realities.
THEMATIC AREAS
Key Findings
- Climate change is driven by cumulative human decisions embedded within social, economic, and ecological systems.
- Food systems, farming practices, waste, and consumption habits create large-scale climate consequences through everyday behavior.
- Behavioral science is essential for designing environmental policy that actually works in practice.
- Risk perception, trust, and social norms strongly influence adoption of climate-smart agriculture and insurance.
- Nutrition, gender, livelihoods, and Indigenous knowledge are central to building inclusive climate resilience.
- Solutions must move beyond awareness and technology to address identity, aspiration, affordability, and habit.
Implications for Policy & Development
- Climate policy must integrate behavioral science and systems thinking, not rely on technology and awareness alone.
- Designing for trust, perception, and social norms is critical for adoption of climate-resilient practices.
- Food, farming, and nutrition strategies must align with identity, aspiration, affordability, and habit.
- Indigenous knowledge, equity, and community participation are essential for durable climate resilience.
- Insurance, advisories, and agricultural support systems must be built around how people actually make decisions.