Live Net Zero+ Project

Climate communication often uses doom-and-gloom messages that highlight the devastation of climate change, which can provoke negative emotions and might be counterproductive. Therefore, this project aims to test whether happy messages that highlight the personal happiness benefits of climate action can increase social media engagement and climate action across Canada. In collaboration with One Earth Living and Canadian Geographic, we will design happiness-based social media posts and host challenges via Canadian Geographics social media accounts that encourage Canadians to take climate action. These challenges will be based on the earlier stages of the Live Net Zero+ initiative, which saw two family challenges with a total of 13 families from across Canada compete to lower their household carbon emissions and win $50,000. Additionally, we will distribute a survey that asks people about the climate actions they currently take and those they would like to take in the future. People will be encouraged to take the survey at multiple timepoints throughout the project so that we can measure how their climate action and carbon footprint has changed over time as a result of these social media posts and challenges. We will also collect data on Canadian Geographics social media engagement (e.g., likes, comments, shares) throughout the project to examine whether this happiness-based messaging can impact social media engagement. Finally, we will also examine the long-term effects of these messages by collecting data again one month after the posts have ended. Results of this project will be used to inform strategies for scaling the Live Net Zero+ initiative and will provide One Earth Living and Canadian Geographic with evidence-based insights into how to engage the largest number of Canadians in climate action as possible.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jiaying Zhao

Student:

Partner:

One Earth Living

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: