When business students or sustainability professionals seek to upskill themselves, they are often advised to strengthen their natural science expertise (learning about renewable energy, nature-based solutions, climate science); their reporting prowess (frameworks such as SASB, TCFD or GRI); or their quantification abilities (greenhouse gas footprint accounting or climate scenario analysis courses).

While these skills are critical to the climate movement, several scientists have called on the social sciences to play a more central role in helping us address the climate crisis.

The social sciences are concerned with the study of human behavior and the societies we form. As put by David Victor, these sciences "are central to understanding how people and societies comprehend and respond to environmental changes, and are pivotal in making effective policies to cut emissions and collaborate across the globe."

The good news is that social sciences are becoming increasingly integrated in our efforts to address the climate crisis. For instance, the latest IPCC Sixth Assessment Report includes far more social science research than previous reporting cycles (including Chapter 5 of Working Group III and Chapter 18 of Working Group II). Also, environmental public policy and economics, two critically important social sciences, have become well-understood in the context of climate change, with several established educational programs for students and young professionals to access.

Here are five lesser-explored social sciences that may be of interest to business professionals looking to broaden their climate toolkits:

  1. Climate change communication
  2. Sociology
  3. Behavioral science
  4. Climate psychology
  5. Environmental justice

Read the full article about advancing the climate movement by Katerina Fragos at GreenBiz.