See Change Institute

Join our CEO Beth Karlin on May 26 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET for the first BECC Lean Coffee!

Part of the new BECC Community Exchange Series, Lean Coffee is a an interactive, community-driven conversation where the agenda is set by you. There are no presentations, no fixed agenda, just thoughtful discussion shaped by the group in real time. It's a great option for anyone looking for a more interactive, discussion-based way to connect with others in the field...

Lean Coffee will be held every third month on the last Tuesday (with Journal Club and Webinars taking place the other months).

🔗 To join us for one or all of these sessions, register at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Rl8mx8ziQrSYo4-o4Sz5DA

🌅 On the Horizon: May 2026
Our Monthly Guide to What’s Going On in Behavior and Climate

Welcome to On the Horizon! Each month, we share a curated list of events and opportunities at the intersection of behavioral science, climate, media, health, and social change.

📅 Events & Webinars

➩ May 12–14, Sacramento — CalCCA Conference & 10-Year Anniversary Celebration
CalCCA is the leading convening for energy leaders focused on the future of Community Choice Aggregation—covering policy, implementation, and the sustainability of local energy systems.
🔗 https://cal-cca.org/2026-annual-conference/

➩ May 15, online — APA Division 34 Webinar: Behavioral Interventions Increasing Climate Action at the Individual, Collective, and System Level
Join Dr. Madalina Vlasceanu for a discussion on driving climate action—from individual behavior to collective engagement to systems change.
🔗https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0NoXP_WbRvuhUCfdNgPOag #/registration

➩ May 19, online — WWF / APA Webinar: The Psychology of Resilience - Seminar Five: Cultural Resilience
Join speakers Dr. Art Blume and Dekila Chungyalpa to explore how cultural traditions, knowledge, and storytelling sustain conservation efforts across generations
🔗https://wwfus.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kPatnSppQue4_BjxUm4lTg #/registration

➩ June 5-6, online — APA Division 34 Virtual Conference: Advancing SDGs Through Psychological Research
This event brings together scholars exploring how psychology—and the behavioral sciences more broadly—can illuminate pathways to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Featuring keynote speakers Dr. Cameron Brick and Dr. Diogo Veríssimo
🔗 https://www.sepcp.org/virtual-conference

🚀 Opportunities & Fellowships

➩ May 12 — Future Perfect Fellows (Vox)
A one-year journalism fellowship focused on evidence-based reporting across topics like AI, global health, and animal welfare—designed for writers interested in high-impact storytelling.
🔗 https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/voxmedia/jobs/7833437

➩ May 22 — Unlikely Collaborators RFP 2026
Grants ($50K–$250K) supporting projects that deepen self-awareness and shift how people interpret beliefs and experiences through the Perception Box™ framework.
�https://static1.squarespace.com/static/634f1c3b9460c62079dc9036/t/69ea11a60d1bd92aeb9bbfda/1776947625654/UC_RFP2026_ApplicationPDF_f.pdf

➩ May 31 — Ocean Biodiversity Storytelling Postdoc (Princeton)
The High Meadows Environmental Institute (HMEI) at Princeton is accepting applications for a postdoctoral research position in ocean biodiversity and environmental storytelling.
🔗 https://apply.interfolio.com/184842ad

➩ Rolling — Managing Director (COO), Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
A senior leadership role guiding operations, strategy, and growth at one of the leading climate communication research centers.
🔗 https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/about/employment/

What’s on your horizon? Drop it below or DM us - we’re always looking to expand our list.

The first BECC Journal Club, hosted by our very own Beth Karlin, is TOMORROW, April 28, at 12pm PT / 3pm ET!

As part of the new BECC Community Exchange Series, this session offers a chance to slow down and really think through a timely paper with others working across behavioral science, energy, and climate.

This first Journal Club will focus on "The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray" by Nick Chater and George Loewenstein. This paper with important implications for how we think about behavior change, systems change, and public policy.

A good option for anyone who wants more than a webinar and is looking for real discussion.

🔗 Register for Journal Club: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/454-vJq2QwanAnVZpBL_dw
📖 Read the paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4046264

From Research to Standards: A Decade of Advancing Energy Behavior Programs

Over the past 12 years (wow!), we've worked on some really interesting projects advancing behavioral science at the intersection of energy, climate, health, and media. As See Change heads into our 13th year, we'd like to share some project highlights and insights with you!

To kick off, we recently celebrated the Canadian Standards Association's release of "CSA/ANSI Standard C555:26 — Definitions and Minimum Requirements for Energy Behaviour Programs," for which See Change provided the preliminary research and recommendations.

To accomplish this, CEO Beth Karlin, Principal Scientist Dr Sea Rotmann, and Research Associate Kady Cowan conducted a review of existing research and standards, and interviewed 17 experts to surface and synthesize the current state of the field and the most pressing opportunities for standardization.

We identified several key opportunities to strengthen the field, including:
➩ Developing shared definitions of energy behavior
➩ Establishing minimum requirements for behavioral programs
➩ Standardizing evaluation and data collection approaches
➩ Creating guidance and standards-based solutions for practitioners

This work reflects a long-standing challenge in the field: while behavioral energy programs are widely used, there has historically been limited consistency in definitions, program design expectations, and evaluation methods. Our team, led by Beth Karlin, Rebecca Ford, and Cindy Frantz has been working for over a decade to strengthen how behavior-based energy programs are measured and evaluated. Here are some highlights:

➤ Our review of behavior-based data collection methods through the User-Centred Energy Systems TCP by IEA synthesized approaches to measuring energy behaviors, highlighting the diversity of methods and the lack of consistent frameworks for comparing results across programs.

➤ The Beyond kWh Toolkit, funded by Southern California Edison expanded evaluation beyond energy savings alone, providing a structured and practical framework for capturing behavioral, social, and other non-energy impacts of programs across different contexts.

➤ The Usability Perception Scale built on existing system usability scales to assess perceived usability of eco-feedback, introducing validated subscales for ease of use and engagement and demonstrating that usability is a key mediator of behavioral intention.

Links to these papers can be found on our website: https://seechangeinstitute.com/2026/04/22/research-to-standards/

We're excited to see these standards released, proud of the role our work had in developing them, and eager to help continue moving the study of energy behavior towards greater rigor and effectiveness.

Working on behavior-based energy programs? We’re always up for a good conversation about what’s working, what isn’t, and why. Leave us a comment below to share.

In just one week, on Tuesday, April 28 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET, Beth Karlin is hosting the first BECC Journal Club!

As part of the new BECC Community Exchange Series, this session offers a chance to slow down and really think through a timely paper with others working across behavioral science, energy, and climate.

This first Journal Club will focus on "The i-frame and the s-frame: How focusing on individual-level solutions has led behavioral public policy astray" by Nick Chater and George Loewenstein. This paper with important implications for how we think about behavior change, systems change, and public policy.

A good option for anyone who wants more than a webinar and is looking for real discussion.

🔗 Register for journal club: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/454-vJq2QwanAnVZpBL_dw
📖 Read the paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4046264

alert 🌿 Registration is now open for the 2026 APA Division 34 Conference: Advancing Sustainable Development Goals Through Psychological Research.

Taking place June 5-6, 2026 and beginning on World Environment Day, this virtual conference will bring together researchers and practitioners exploring how psychological and behavioral science can help address urgent environmental and social challenges. Join keynote speaker Cameron Brick, conference organizer Stylianos Syropoulos, and many other leading Environmental and Conversation Psychologists for some great conversations.

For those working at the intersection of behavior, sustainability, and social impact, this is a strong opportunity to engage with current research and connect with others in the field.

🔗

Virtual Conference — SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL, POPULATION, AND CONSERVATION PSYCHOLOGY Division 34 Annual Virtual Conference APA Division 34 (Society for Environmental Population and Conservation Psychology) is excited to host its 4th virtual conference!This year's theme focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals represent an ambi...

Exciting announcement: BECC is launching the 2026 Community Exchange Series THIS MONTH!

BECC will host a free virtual event on the last Tuesday of every month to keep the community connected, curious, and in conversation between conferences. And we're THRILLED to share that our CEO Beth Karlin is helping lead the series by hosting two of the three event types in this series.

The series includes:
📖 Journal Club is an opportunity to discuss interesting articles with friends. First session is April 28, so sign up now at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/454-vJq2QwanAnVZpBL_dw
☕️ Lean Coffee is an idea-driven conversation series where the topics are picked by YOU! Sign up at: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Rl8mx8ziQrSYo4-o4Sz5DA
💻️ Webinars feature industry leading speakers sharing expertise on topics of interest. Registration coming soon.

We hope to see you there!

🌅 On the Horizon: April 2026
Our Monthly Guide to What’s Going On in Behavior and Climate

Each month, we share a curated list of events and opportunities we’re excited about at the intersection of behavioral science, climate, media, health, and social change. Leave your events and opportunities to share below!

📅 Events & Webinars
➩ Apr 8-15 — LA Climate Week: Join us for a week of community-led events across LA at the intersection of climate, culture, and action. laclimateweek.com
➩ Apr 8 — NAM Climate and Health Summit 2026: National Academy of Medicine convenes leaders across health, policy, and practice featuring a stellar roster of speakers including John Balbus and Ed Maibach. https://nam.edu/event/climate-and-health-summit-2026/
➩ Apr 28 — BECC Journal Club: New monthly series led by our CEO Beth Karlin. A facilitated group discussion of peer-reviewed research. https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/454-vJq2QwanAnVZpBL_dw #/registration

⚠️ Calls for Artists, Abstracts, and Presentations
➩ Due Apr 14 — Climate Imaginarium: Call for artists interpreting climate data through storytelling. Work must be hand-deliverable in NYC. (h/t Tory Stephens for sharing) climatecafe.typeform.com
➩ Due May 1 — Creative Methodologies for Studying Changing Climates: Symposium at the University of Amsterdam (online presentations available). Explores embodied, affective, and decolonial approaches to climate research. https://csds.uva.nl/content/events/2026/09/creative-methodologies-for-studying-changing-climates.html
➩ Due May 8 — Conservation Social Science Conference: Virtual, Oct 21-22. Abstracts invited from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on social science for conservation. (h/t Sophia Winkler-Schor for sharing) https://scbsocialscience.org/conservation-social-science-conference-2026/

🚀 Opportunities & Fellowships
➩ Due Apr 16 — Postdoctoral Research Associate, Behavioral Science for Policy Lab: Work with Elke Weber at Princeton on the social and policy dimensions of decarbonization and renewable energy. https://bspl.lab.princeton.edu/news/2026/we-are-hiring-postdoctoral-research-associate
➩ Project Manager, Local Government Programs — Clean Power Alliance: Lead local decarbonization and electrification initiatives. (h/t Joanne O'Neill for sharing) https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4389833652/
➩ Senior Research Scientist — Harmony Labs: Research on media, narratives, and audiences. (h/t Brian Waniewski for sharing) https://harmonylabs.org/page/senior-research-scientist
➩ VP of Leadership Programs — Constructive Dialogue Institute (founded by Jon Haidt) leads programs on dialogue and culture change in higher ed. https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4387975389/
➩ Residential Sector Program Assistant — Consortium for Energy Efficiency: Support energy efficiency and decarbonization programs at a leading energy NGO. (h/t Esmond Snell for sharing) https://cee1.org/about/careers/

What's on your horizon? Drop it in the comments or DM us.

What actually changes climate behavior? How do algorithms shape political attitudes? And why does backlash often follow social progress?

Each month, we're highlighting a few recent publications and essays that caught our attention: work that helps illuminate how change happens across climate, behavior, media, and society. Here's what we're reading:

➤ Voelkel et al., 2026 — A registered report megastudy on the persuasiveness of the most-cited climate messages (Nature Climate Change)
This megastudy finds that several widely cited climate messages produce small but reliable gains in climate attitudes and intentions across partisan groups. However, none increased donations, suggesting short messages alone may be limited in shifting higher-cost behaviors.

➤ Radke et al., 2026 — How do-more-good frames influence climate action likelihood and anticipated happiness (Frontiers in Communication)
Framing climate actions as things people can do more of—rather than behaviors they should do less of—generally increases reported willingness to act and anticipated happiness. The effect varies by behavior and can even backfire for actions like driving or flying.

➤ Gauthier et al., 2026 — The political effects of X’s feed algorithm (Nature)
This study finds that X’s algorithmic feed increased engagement and shifted active U.S. users’ views in a more conservative direction, particularly on policy priorities, Trump investigations, and Ukraine. The shift appears driven partly by promoted conservative content and users subsequently following conservative activist accounts.

➤ Bettache, 2026 — The culture-to-cognition transmission of inequality and the psychological necessity of consciousness-raising (Nature Reviews Psychology)
This review argues that consciousness-raising remains important because harmful cultural norms become internalized in how people think and act. Backlash to these efforts may often reflect disrupted psychological schemas rather than purely political disagreement.

➤ Patel, 2026 — The three things that change the world (Raj Patel on Substack)
In the opening essay for his new Substack, our friend and comrade Raj Patel reflects on three forces that drive meaningful change: witness, friendship, and art. Each requires vulnerability and transformation. Rather than better stories producing change, Raj suggests encounters change people first, and the story follows later, if it comes at all.

Read the full roundup with links to each article here: seechangeinstitute.com/2026/03/24/research-roundup-0326/

What research are you reading lately? Drop it in the comments or send us a DM - we’re always looking to expand our list.

TOMORROW: What Do the Behavioral and Social Sciences Have to Do with Building Decarbonization?
🗓️ Thursday, March 5
⏰️ 11am-12pm PT

Catch our CEO, Dr. Beth Karlin, as she kicks off the Clean Energy Transition Institute's new webinar series exploring how social and behavioral science can accelerate building decarbonization.

This first session serves as a primer for anyone working on electrification, policy, or program design who wants to better understand the human side of adoption. Expect a practical overview of behavioral science theories and methods - plus a deeper dive into residential electrification decision-making across the customer journey.

Beth will be presenting alongside Dr. Reuven Sussman (The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)), moderated by CETI Research Director Stacia Dreyer, PhD.

🔗 https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2Ez8By94QJuWwh6SGJNA1Q #/registration

We hope to see you there!

🌅 On the Horizon: March 2026
Our Monthly Guide to What’s Going On in Behavior and Climate

Welcome to On the Horizon! Each month, we’ll share a curated list of events and opportunities we’re excited about at the intersection of behavioral science, climate, media, health, and social change. Give us a follow if you like it and DM us your events and opportunities to share!

📅 Events & Webinars
➩ March 2 & 24 — WWF and American Psychological Association Psychology of Resilience Series
Explores how emotions, identity, culture, and community shape conservation action. The 3/2 webinar features Taciano Milfont and Linda Steg (who we love).
➩ March 6 — Clean Energy Transition Institute Human Insights 101
Features our CEO Beth Karlin, Reuven Sussman, and Stacia Dreyer, PhD discussing how social science drives progress in building electrification/decarbonization.
➩ March 17 — FrameWorks Institute Trust in Flux
Shares new research on how Americans think about trust in health institutions and how framing strategies can strengthen or weaken that trust.
➩ March 19 — Build It Green Electrification in Action
Introduces fundamentals of small-scale residential electrification, including heat pumps, electric appliances, and load planning.
➩ March 23 — The BTS Center The Unfixing
Free online film viewing + conversation links illness, grief, parenting, and climate change with filmmaker Nicole Betancourt and climate scholar Susanne Moser.
➩ March 25 — APA Division 34: Society for Environmental, Population, and Conservation Psychology Spring Webinar
Dr. Mario Herberz (University of Geneve) presents on "Fairness perceptions in climate policy design and their behavioral consequences." (h/t to Stylianos Syropoulos for sharing)

⚠️ Call for Presentations and Papers
➩ March 1 — APA Division 34 4th Virtual Conference
Explores psychological pathways to achieve Sustainable Development Goals; great for folks working at the intersection of psychology and climate change.
➩ March 31 — JEP Special Issue on Environmental Psychology Trends
Journal of Environmental Psychology is curating a special issue highlight diverse perspectives on the past, present, and future of the field. (h/t to Susan Clayton for sharing)

🚀 Opportunities & Fellowships
➩ March 20 — Urban Ocean Lab Senior Fellows
Seeking climate / policy leaders to generate bold, actionable ideas and tools to strengthen coastal and urban climate resilience (h/t to Dune Ives for sharing)
➩ April 7 — Project Drawdown Climate Science Serving America Fellowship
Opportunity for PhD-level scientists to advance climate research and translate it into real-world impact through outreach, engagement, and collaboration (h/t to Elizabeth Bagley for sharing)
➩ April 15 — WWF Russell E. Train and Caroline Goldman Cassagnol Fellowships
These fellowships support conservation leaders to advance biodiversity research and strengthen long-term conservation impact. (h/t to Rebecca Shaw for sharing)