Behavioural Science for Climate Action

Publications

* Joint first authorship · † Student trainee. For citation metrics, see Google Scholar.

Publications & Book Chapters

  1. Sabherwal, A. C., & Sparkman, G. (2026). Combined signals of scientific and social consensus best mobilize action on societal challenges even if government and industry oppose. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
    Covered by over 10 media outlets, including TIME
    Paper TIME coverage
  2. Shah, M., Johar, G., Cole, C., … Sabherwal, A. C., … & Huang, S. Promoting tree planting: A randomized controlled trial of theory-derived messages in rural India. Journal of Consumer Research (Stage 1 in-principle acceptance, Registered Report).
  3. Sabherwal, A. C., & Sparkman, G. (2026). Scientists don’t need more trust, they need public allies [Letter]. Nature, 656(8126), 266.
    Letter
  4. Goldwert, D.*, Sabherwal, A. C.*, & Vlasceanu, M. (2026). The central role of governmental efficacy in driving climate advocacy. Communications Earth & Environment.
    Paper
  5. Goldwert, D., Constantino, S. M., Patel, Y., Sabherwal, A., Semken, C., Brick, C., … & Vlasceanu, M. (2026). A megastudy of behavioural interventions to catalyse public, political, and financial climate advocacy. PNAS Nexus, 5(1).
    Paper
  6. Sabherwal, A., Shreedhar, G. S., & Reader, T. W. (2025). Cultural shift for pro-environmental behavioral change: Developing and validating the Environmental Culture in Organisations (ECO) scale. Journal of Environmental Psychology.
    Paper
  7. Pearson, A. R., Sabherwal, A., & Schuldt, J. P. (2025). Psychological dimensions of climate justice. In M. T. Schmitt, G. Anjum, S. Clayton, & C. Manning (Eds.), Psychology and Climate Change: Human Perceptions, Impacts, and Responses (2nd ed.). Academic Press.
  8. Sabherwal, A., & Sparkman, G. (2025). A review of consistency in climate action: The role of social interactions and institutions in cultivating positive behavioural spillover. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.
    Paper
  9. Sabherwal, A. (2025). Generative AI can influence climate beliefs and actions. Nature Climate Change.
    Paper
  10. Sabherwal, A.*, & O’Dell, D.* (in press). How environmental and social psychologists can engage with system-level processes. Global Environmental Psychology.
    Paper
  11. Gvirtz, A., & Sabherwal, A. (2024). The limits of doing global, cross-cultural behavioural science research [Comment]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
    Paper
  12. Shreedhar, G. S., Sabherwal, A., & Maldonado, R. (2024). Cli-Fi videos can increase charitable donations: Experimental evidence from the UK. Frontiers in Psychology.
    Paper
  13. Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M. M., Grayson, S. J., … Sabherwal, A., … & Van Bavel, J. J. (2024). Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Science Advances, 10(6), eadj5778.
    Paper
  14. Parkes, I.†, Thomas-Walters, L., Sabherwal, A., O’Dell, D., & Shreedhar, G. (2023). Social identification predicts behavioural engagement with environmental activist movements, but does not moderate the collective climate action intention-behaviour gap. OSF Preprints.
    Paper
  15. Sabherwal, A., Shreedhar, G. S., & van der Linden, S. (2022). Inoculating against threats to climate activists’ image: Intersectional activism in the Indian Farmers’ Protest. Current Research in Ecological and Social Psychology, 3, 100051.
    Paper
  16. Sabherwal, A., & Shreedhar, G. S. (2022). Stories of intentional action mobilize climate policy support and action intentions. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 1179.
    Paper
  17. Sabherwal, A., Pearson, A. R., & Sparkman, G. (2021). Anger consensus messaging can enhance expectations for collective action and support for climate mitigation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 76, 101640.
    Topped Rare’s list of “Best Behavior and Environment Studies of 2021”
    Paper Rare: Best of 2021
  18. Sabherwal, A., Ballew, M. T., van der Linden, S., Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M. H., Maibach, E. W., Kotcher, J. E., Swim, J. K., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2021). The Greta Thunberg Effect: Familiarity with Greta Thunberg predicts intentions to engage in climate activism in the United States. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 51(4), 321–333.
    Covered by over 25 media outlets, including The Atlantic, Financial Times, Vox and Brut · Wiley Top Cited Article
    Paper
  19. Sabherwal, A., & Kácha, O. (2021). Communicating climate change beyond western societies: A tale of the Czech Republic and India. Cambridge Journal of Science and Policy, 2.
    Paper
  20. O’Keefe, P., Horberg, E. J., Sabherwal, A., Ibasco, G., & Zainal, A. (2021). Thinking beyond boundaries: A growth theory of interest enhances integrative thinking that bridges the arts and sciences. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 162, 95–108.
    Paper

Select Preprints & Manuscripts Under Review

  1. Sabherwal, A. C.*, Goldwert, D.*, Vlasceanu, M., & Weber, E. U. Coordinated intervention ensembles outperform single-mechanism interventions. Revised and resubmitted, Nature Human Behaviour.
    Preprint
  2. Goldwert, D.*, Sabherwal, A. C.*, & Vlasceanu, M. Increasing governmental efficacy beliefs drives support for congestion pricing policy. Revised and resubmitted, Nature Sustainability.
    Preprint
  3. Sabherwal, A. C., Hiess, V., Silvosa, S.†, & Weber, E. U. Identifying upstream, midstream and downstream drivers of workplace pro-environmental behaviour: A conjoint experiment in the energy sector. Under review.
  4. Sabherwal, A. C., Composto, J., Constantino, S. M., & Weber, E. U. Dynamic landscape of institutional trust: A network analysis shows that trust in the presidency spills over to scientists, media, and public institutions. Under review.