Emotions and gender equity in planetary care: How emotions influence paid and unpaid climate activities across genders

Research goals are to characterize emotional content in climate communications, evaluate emotions’ influence on paid and unpaid climate action, and explore gender dynamics therein.

Social psychology researchers have found that positive emotions (e.g., awe, empathy, compassion) increase proenvironmental commitments, prosociality, and collective identity. Yet a pernicious gap remains between intent and climate action. Moreover, climate changes disproportionately harm women and marginalized groups who are often absent or excluded from climate decision-making. Further still, environmental behaviour researchers show that women more highly self-identify as environmental and – viewing climate action as a form of planetary care work – maintain their role as predominant, regularly under-paid, care-givers. To help Canada ensure an inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable society, these planetary care workers must be adequately recognized and compensated to create effective, equitable climate solutions. Thus, to spur critical climate action, it is paramount to determine which emotions influence actual pro-environmental behaviours and change for whom.

Through our interdisciplinary research program, we draw on theories and methodologies from social psychology, communications, emotional geographies, feminist care ethics, and sustainability. Using these methodologies, we will characterize emotional content in current climate communications, evaluate emotions’ influence on climate action, and explore gender dynamics therein.

OBJECTIVES
1. Qualitatively analyse emotional content in public-facing (e.g., climate action campaigns) and key stakeholders' (e.g., policy-maker briefs, corporate reports) climate communications
2. Determine whether and how emotions (e.g., fear vs. awe) influence climate action among those who identify as proenvironmental (e.g., activists) and those who do not (e.g., climate deniers)
3. Identify motivating factors and gender representation among Canadian environmental professionals (e.g., natural resource managers, public servants, conservationists) and climate volunteers (e.g., activists, volunteers)

While prior studies predominantly focused on participants' intentions, self-reports, or in-lab behaviours, scholars have called for real-world research. In response, we will provide necessary insights on actual pro-environmental behaviour. Further, as climate deniers have been often over-looked in prior climate behaviour research, we will begin to identify motivations for this sub-group. This in-situ work informs who engages in environmental commitments for what motivators and how these behaviours transcend various aspects of life.

Our findings will be essential for climate communicators and governance groups, specifically when determining emotional content best suited for climate action campaigns and communiques. Results will provide insight on emotions as climate motivators and inform gender labour literatures, providing further depth to climate justice considerations. We will also provide important demographic information on who does and what motivates formal and informal planetary care work. These outcomes will assist recruitment strategies for environmental employment or volunteer positions, while also providing useful data for gender equity advocacy efforts. Lastly, we will inform further research into environmental communications and motivational strategies to encourage those inclined – and not – to maximize climate resilience efforts.