Green nudging: Psychology facilitates environmental protection and climate policy

Environmental pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming are the major realities threatening all mankind today, urging all countries in the world to take immediate actions to protect the environment, save energy, reduce emissions, and curb global warming. In practice, it is difficult to completely solve these urgent problems by relying only on laws and regulations, administrative orders and other coercive means, as well as incentives such as monetary incentives. Hence, it is necessary to use the results of relevant research in psychology and behavioral sciences to facilitate environmental protection, energy conservation, and climate policy, and to play an important role in nudging the development of such policies. This paper reviews the research results of applying psychology and behavioral economics to policy making and practical guidance for environmental protection, energy conservation and emission reduction at home and abroad, with a view to improving the policy effectiveness of social governance and public management, as well as enhancing the public’s willingness to protect the environment, encouraging energy-saving behaviors in families and organizations, and nudging the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the whole society.