GETONBOARD
Sources 1 - The 89% Project (Covering Climate Now, 2025)
The 89% Project, headed by Covering Climate Now along with other groups such as the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, reports that between 80% and 89% of people around the world want their governments to take stronger actions against climate change. While there is clear worry regarding climate change among most of the people, a common misconception among them is that they are part of a minority group. The reluctance of people to speak up and voice their support for climate change comes from the problem of pluralistic ignorance, arising out of the assumption that other people have different views. This information is highly relevant for our project since it makes clear the fact that the problem is not encouraging men to understand the importance of climate change, but providing an environment where they can openly express themselves.
Sources 2 - Avery et al. (2025) – Gendered Attitudes Towards
Change that Benefits the Environment As per recent research, men’s involvement in climate change is affected by the traditional ideals of masculinity. As mentioned by Avery et al. (2025), those men who subscribe to hegemonic masculinity are unlikely to display any environment-friendly behavior and would not be supportive towards environmental regulations as well. The study claims that traditionally masculine traits such as strength, independence, and emotional restraint are considered incongruent with environmentalism. This study gave us more insight into our target audience, in terms of which our HMW question was formulated. This study helped us realise that climate communication aimed at men must explore how climate activism could be portrayed through different forms of masculinities.
Sources 3 - Michie, van Stralen & West (2011) – COM-B Behaviour Change Model
The COM-B model, for behaviour to occur, there must be capability, opportunity, and motivation. Individuals could fail to act due to the lack of opportunities and social settings that encourage people to behave in ways that protect the climate despite knowing about climate change and wanting to contribute to its preservation. The COM-B model presents a good approach that can be used to find out what blocks behaviour change and how to address such barriers. Through this approach, our project examines how to motivate men socially in supporting climate change.
Sources 4 - Burrell & Pedersen (2024) – University of Melbourne
As Burrell and Pedersen claim, masculinity makes up a substantial part of the climate problem but is often overlooked. Masculinity can prevent men from engaging in discussions regarding environmental problems because of the stereotypes surrounding men and their actions, which may seem to conflict with masculinity. Climate action needs to be defined differently in order to correspond with such values as responsibility, leadership, and protection, not for men to give up their masculinity. This approach had a considerable influence on the design we developed and supports our decision to use positive representations of masculinity.
Checkpoint 2 - Theoretical Lens
Chosen theoretical lenses
Our group selected Gender Studies as our primary theoretical lens and Behavioural Science as a supporting theoretical lens because together they help explain both the social and behavioural factors influencing men's expression of climate support.
Research on the chosen lens
Gender Studies
Gender Studies deals with gender roles, gender identities, and gender norms in terms of socialisation and culture instead of biological determinism. This academic discipline analyses the processes by which gender identity, role, and norm formation is influenced by institutional, mass-media, cultural, and communicational context.
In relation to our research topic, Gender Studies will help to understand why a large number of men privately support climate change measures while at the same time hesitating to express their opinions publicly. The concept of traditional masculinity implies such characteristics as strength, autonomy, and self-control; hence, environmental concerns may be viewed as a contradiction to the principles of masculinity. Instead of regarding masculinity as an undifferentiated category, Gender Studies takes into account the variety of masculine identities.
Characteristics of Gender Studies
The concept of gender is not determined merely biologically but socially (Connell, 2005).
Masculinity takes diverse forms depending on cultures, societies, and individuals (Connell, 2005).
Social standards determine thoughts, behaviors, and identity of people (Burrell & Pedersen, 2024).
The media and cultural representations determine attitudes towards masculinity (Burrell & Pedersen, 2024).
Gender identity evolves over time as societies and culture change (Connell, 2005).
How Gender Studies assists our project is by pointing out that stereotypes of masculinity can deter men from advocating for climate change solutions.
How might we make climate support expressable with diverse masculine identities?
Behavioural Science
Behavioral Science seeks to examine the reasons behind why individuals behave as they do and the ways in which such behavior is shaped through the individual’s mind, other people and their environment. Behavioral Science demonstrates that knowledge alone is insufficient for changing behavior since motivation, opportunities, and societal norms all play an important role.
From the perspective of our research, Behavioral Science provides an explanation for why many men who agree with climate change initiatives keep these opinions secret and fail to voice them in public due to social pressure, the behavior of other people and the fear of being judged. This concept integrates well with Gender Studies, allowing us to understand not only the reasons behind such behavior but also its solutions.
Characteristics of Behavioural Science
Behavior is dependent on Capability, Opportunity and Motivation (COM-B) (Michie et al., 2011).
Social norms significantly affect human behavior.
Human behavior does not always correspond with what they think because external forces hinder behavior.
Effective behavioral change occurs in a positive environment and increased opportunities for behavior change.
Behavioral interventions should be evidence-based and evaluated to improve their effectiveness.
Behavioral Science can aid our endeavor through the provision of methods to motivate men to demonstrate their commitment to climate change. The discipline emphasizes good social environments and communication using identity.
Who are the main scholars important within this field?
An expert in gender issues is Connell who defines how dominant masculinity affects perception and behavior of men (Connell, 2005). According to Raewyn Connell, masculinity is a multi-dimensional construct that can adapt depending on the socio-cultural context.
Another important theorist who introduced gender performativity into gender theory is Judith Butler. The theory states that gender identity can be constructed via repetition of actions rather than something inherent (Butler, 1990).
Burrell & Pedersen conducted a more recent study examining the connections between masculinity and climate change (2024). Authors argue that individual behavior concerning the environment tends to be defined by social expectations and masculine norms. The scholars offer to use climate change narratives that will be appropriate for different types of masculinities and will help to avoid stereotypes.
Thus, all these theories focus on the issues of identity, social norms, representations, and cultural expectations of behavior typical for gender studies. It makes our research grounded in terms of its theory.
Checkpoint 3 - Audiences
In-class Activities
Although I could not attend the class this week, I did review the topic and notes done by our group to get information about the audience and their relevance to our project.
Research about our target audience
Our target audience is men with various forms of masculine identities who would be interested in climate action although reluctant to discuss it in the public space.According to The 89% Project, 80%-89% of people worldwide support stronger climate actions, yet believe that they are minorities. This causes inhibition in demonstrating this stance in public and prevents climate discussion (Covering Climate Now, 2025).
Connell (2005) illustrates the presence of various masculine identities and social constructiveness of masculinity. The traditional forms of masculinity (independence, emotional repression, strength) may be used by some people to prevent open discussion of environmental problems. It provided our group with an insight into a conflict between masculine identity and climate support. Burrell & Pedersen (2024) emphasize the need for going beyond gender stereotypes in climate communications. In order to reach out more men and attract them to climate discussion, the researchers recommend using such masculine values as responsibility, leadership, and community engagement.
These sources have allowed us to realize that the problem is not in the absence of concern, but in the lack of ability to demonstrate this position in a socially acceptable way. Our HMW questions was formulated as follows:
How might we make climate support expressible with diverse masculine identities?
Reflection
Even though I was absent at the class, it became clear that the importance of defining a target audience before proposing any solution cannot be underestimated. It became clear that the goal of our project is not to make men interested in climate problems, but to provide them with the opportunities to demonstrate their support. Research on our audience has reinforced the idea that our project deals with identity, communication and social norms, not with climate facts only.
Checkpoint 4 - How Might We question
In-Class Activity: Gallery Walk & HMW Question
Through the "How Might We" (HMW) process, we were able to come up with our solutions for the given task this week based on what we have discovered during our previous classes. First, we figured out the factors that keep the men from voicing out their opinion regarding climate change.Here are some HMW questions we discussed:
Based on our options and feedback gathered in the gallery walk, we selected the following HMW question:
How might we make climate support expressable with diverse masculine identities?
This question is chosen as it doesn't include assumption of no support for climate change by men but instead provides opportunities for expressing support for climate action in a way relevant to diverse masculine identities. It fits our findings and provides space for several creative solutions instead of one specific answer.
Research supporting our HMW
- Although a vast majority of people support climate actions, they think they are in the minority, according to The 89% Project. Such an opinion prevents people from public speaking (Covering Climate Now, 2025).
- According to Connell (2005), masculinity is socially constructed and can have many forms. Masculine norms influence the emotions, beliefs, and behaviors of men, including caring for climate change issues. That is why climate messages should take diverse masculine identities into account, and not consider all men as a homogeneous group.
- Behavior in Michie, van Stralen, and West's (2011) COM-B framework can be explained through motivation, opportunity and capability. Creating the environment where climate support is relatable and socially accepted will increase social opportunity.
Reflection
Development of HMW question allowed us to transition from problem identification to solution development. We learned that although many men are concerned about climate action, they do not speak out about it in public. The gallery walk was beneficial for our questioning and consideration of different perspectives. Our HMW question truly reflects our findings while still being open for further creative solutions.
Checkpoint 5 - Rapid prototyping & reflection
In-class activity: Case Study – Real World Projects
This week we tried to suggest possible interventions instead of defining the problem. Our team discussed several formats that could efficiently deliver our message and remain interesting for our target audience based on our HMW question.
HMW Question: How might we make climate support expressable with diverse masculine identities?
Initially, we discussed various intervention formats including:
Public awareness campaigns
Posters
Social media campaigns
Video advertisements
Music videos
An original EP
After the discussion, it became clear that changes in representation of climate change support will be more important for the effectiveness of the intervention than mere awareness of environmental problems. The goal of our intervention is to show that support for climate change is possible within diverse masculine identities rather than conflict between masculinity and environment.
Classmates' feedback showed that we should clarify our target audience. Instead of all men as our target audience, we started considering different pressures faced by different masculine identities. This made us think of media that provides the same general message but targets different categories of men.
Research on media prototypes
I investigated examples of creative media which use Media, music and storytelling effectively for the transmission of social and environmental messages to support our idea.
Earth Song by Michael Jackson (1995) is one of the great examples. The track uses effective storytelling and impressive visuals to show environmental problems instead of facts. The music video invites viewers to experience emotions and reflect upon the relationship between humans and nature through visualisation of deforestation, pollution, war and wildlife extinction. It proves that music is a tool to start discussions about the problems and increase awareness of the environmental issues (Jackson, 1995).
Earth by Lil Dicky (2019) is the relevant example as well. The music video used social media, humor, animation and partnerships with celebrities for transmission of the environmental message to young people. The video shows that environmental education can be fun, catchy and informative reaching millions people through entertainment.
Scientific researches prove that music is an efficient tool for influencing behavior. Juslin and Věfjós (2008) state that music influences behavior, emotions and memories. The process of remembering the message is more effective when listeners get emotionally involved in it. It supports our decision to use music as a mean of communication of climate change support message.
The case studies helped us realise that we could come up with a multimedia strategy based on media campaigns, EP, including music videos and posters and other forms of digital media that would support it. Combining music and visuals, we aim to create an emotional and culturally resonant campaign that would inspire men to become the supporters of climate change action by acknowledging their own masculine identities.
Group Discussion 1: Reflection
In this discussion we received more clarity regarding the difference between raising awareness and influencing behavior. Initially we decided to educate men about the problems of climate change, but as a result of the discussion we agreed that the intervention should provide men with a possibility to express their beliefs freely. Representation is important as well. Our intervention should praise the diversity of masculine identities and show that climate change support is compatible with various lifestyles and values instead of forcing some idea of masculinity.
References
Avery, R. A. T., Bailey, J., Becker, J. C., Bilewicz, M., Cislak, A., De Cristofaro, V., Górska, P., Kosakowska-Berezecka, N., Mikołajczak, G., Pärnamets, P., Sarrasin, O., & van der Linden, S. (2025). Gendered attitudes towards pro-environmental change: The role of hegemonic masculinity endorsement, dominance, and threat. British Journal of Social Psychology, 64(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12798
Butler, J. (1990). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.
Burrell, S., & Pedersen, A. (2024). Masculinity and climate change. The University of Melbourne. https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/73628-masculinity-and-climate-change
Connell, R. W. (2005). Masculinities (2nd ed.). University of California Press.
Covering Climate Now. (2025). The 89% Project. https://89percent.org/
Grammarly. (2025). Grammarly. https://www.grammarly.com/
Jackson, M. (1995). Earth Song [Song]. On HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Epic Records.
Juslin, P. N., & Västfjäll, D. (2008). Emotional responses to music: The need to consider underlying mechanisms. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 559–621. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005293
Lil Dicky. (2019). Earth [Song]. Dirty Burd Records.
Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The Behaviour Change Wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. *Implementation Sc
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