Abstract
While biophysical sciences have provided us with ample evidence for what causes climate change and what needs to happen to mitigate its worst impacts, individuals and societies often lack the motivation to act. This chapter turns to social and behavioral sciences to identify a range of factors that we know can motivate action. These include psychological factors (e.g., affect, emotion, risk perception) that drive our individual decisions as well as group dynamics and cultural forces that shape our behavior (e.g., identity, trust). The chapter provides examples of where and how these insights have been used to communicate climate change or to influence policy.