The pandemic has shown how lives can be saved when large-scale data sets are harnessed for science. This potential is only starting to be realized as researchers with backgrounds in computer science or applied mathematics join with social scientists. Transdisciplinary co-working is rarely easy, but it is essential for both better decisions and robust outcomes.
In this episode, Gabriela Matic and our own Divya Sukumar, Behavior Scientist at Signol take a look at the foundation of behavioral science and its role in sustainability as well as the ethics behind it all. Expect a creative tour around the world as seen through the eyes of a behavioral scientist.
A group of scholars, engineers, and economists has puzzled together a powerful thesis that explains why America and the world are decarbonizing—and how they can get better at it. Decarbonization isn’t best accomplished by fiat, they argue, but by feedback loop; it proceeds by a self-accelerating process that Robinson Meyer called “the green vortex.” The green vortex describes how policy, technology, business, and politics can all work together, lowering the cost of zero-carbon energy, building pro-climate coalitions, and speeding up humanity’s ability to decarbonize. It has also already gotten results.
The UN booklet is based on findings in the behavioral science that show that “nudging” individuals towards greener decisions can lead to greater environmental action.
About Signol
Signol is a software platform that draws on insights from behavioral economics to encourage employees to make more efficient decisions. Signol provides personalized feedback through multiple communication channels, as well as data analysis for managers. In aviation, Signol aims to use behavioral "nudges" and incentives to reduce pollution and fuel waste and cut operating costs.