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Planetary Health

Research theme

This research theme focuses on the psychological and behavioural underpinnings of planetary and environmental health. Our research aims to develop theoretical and practical solutions to implement and promote more sustainable practices for us to live within planetary boundaries.

Planetary health requires us to interrogate our current way of living and being, at economic, social and political levels, for humanity to flourish within planetary boundaries and for us to effectively assess the social impact of climate change.

This perspective has various implications in terms of behavioural and societal change. For instance, researchers are studying topics ranging from how to change the way we eat, consume, and relate to animals (including plant-based food choices, food production and consumption), to the way we consider growth in contemporary societies through activism and utopianism.

Expertise and resources

Below you can find experts, research and media focussed on current and future challenges around planetary health.

Experts

 

Frederic_Basso_200_200

Dr Fred Basso

Associate Professor

Matteo Galizzi_updated for 2022

Dr Matteo M. Galizzi

Associate Professor

Dario_Krpan_8698_cropped

Dr Dario Krpan

Assistant Professor

Kate Laffan 200x200_updated 2021

Dr Kate Laffan

Assistant Professor

Jens Koed Madsen 2021_200x200

Dr Jens Madsen

Assistant Professor 

Ganga Shreedhar 200x200

Dr Ganga Shreedhar

Assistant Professor

Heidi Zamzow

Heidi Zamzow

PhD candidate


 

Selected publications

Banerjee, S., Galizzi, M.M., & Mourato, S. (2023). Sustainable dietary choices improved by reflection before a nudge in an online experiment. Nature Sustainability, 6, 1632-1642.

Laffan, K., Lades, L.K., & Delaney, L. (2023). Paths that lead astray: Examining the situational predictors of intention-behaviour gaps in meat consumptionJournal of Environmental Psychology, 89, 102045. 

Basso, F., & Krpan, D. (2023). The WISER framework of behavioural change interventions for mindful human flourishing. The Lancet Planetary Health7(2), e106-e108.

Prelez, J., Wang, F., & Shreedhar, G. (2023). For the love of money and the planet: Experimental evidence on co-benefits framing and food waste reduction intentions. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 192, 106904.

Zamzow, H., & Basso, F. (2022). Say Cheese!’: Humane halos from environmental practices in dairy production. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 6:997590.

Sabherwal, A., & Shreedhar, G. (2022). Stories of intentional action mobilise climate policy support and action intentions. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1-8.

Banerjee, S., Galizzi, M.M., John, P.,  & Mourato, S. (2022). What works best in promoting climate citizenship? A randomised, systematic evaluation of nudge, think, boost and nudge+Geography and Environment Discussion Paper Series (32). 

Basso, F., & Krpan, D. (2022). Measuring the transformative utopian impulse for planetary health in the age of the Anthropocene: a multi-study scale development and validation. The Lancet Planetary Health, 6(3), e230-e242.

Krpan, D., & Basso, F. (2021). Keep Degrowth or go Rebirth? Regulatory focus theory and the support for a sustainable downscaling of production and consumption. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 74, 101586.

Shreedhar, G., & Galizzi, M.M. (2021). Personal or planetary health? Direct, spillover and carryover effects of non-monetary benefits of vegetarian behaviour. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 78, 101710.

Krpan, D., & Houtsma, N. (2020). To veg or not to veg? The impact of framing on vegetarian food choice. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 67, 101391.

Shreedhar, G., & Mourato, S. (2019). Experimental evidence on the impact of biodiversity conservation videos on charitable donations. Ecological Economics, 158, 180-193.

Wang, F., & Basso, F. (2019). “Animals are friends, not food”: Anthropomorphism leads to less favorable attitudes toward meat consumption by inducing feelings of anticipatory guilt. Appetite, 138, 153-173.

Bacon, L., & Krpan, D. (2018). (Not) Eating for the environment: The impact of restaurant menu design on vegetarian food choice. Appetite, 125, 190-200.

Media

LSEiQ podcast

Ganga Shreedhar for LSE iQ October 2022_747x420

How can we survive the next mass extinction? Sea levels are rising, carbon emissions are increasing and deforestation is continuing at an alarming rate. Human created climate change is drastically reshaping life on earth, with up to 75% of the diversity of the species on our planet on their way to becoming extinct. Dr Ganga Shreedhar speaks to Anna Bevan on the LSEiQ podcast. Listen here.

LSE event podcast recordings

Leveraging Moments of Change for Pro-Environmental Behavioural Transformation with Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, 9 February 2022. Environmental psychologist Lorraine Whitmarsh shared the initial findings of her project on ‘moments of change’, including how this relates to net zero societal change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Listen to the podcast recording on LSE Player here.

News

'Thinking before nudging promotes climate citizenship: Evidence from an experiment in the UK', 13 April 2022. Royal Economic Society.

'Is Remote Work Actually Better for the Environment?' by Ganga Shreedhar, Kate Laffan, and Laura M. Giurge, 7 March 2022. Harvard Business Review.