To date, very little research has been conducted explicitly with Oregon citizens regarding their understanding or attitudes about climate change. This article discusses the results of four recent studies (all completed within the past 18 months) in the context of a behavioral change model that suggests that while individuals and groups need to know something about climate change to make appropriate behavioral changes (i.e., to either mitigate greenhouse gas emissions or adapt to a changing climate), they also need to believe changing their behavior is important and worthwhile, and any barriers to behavioral change must be identified and addressed.

In addition to examining recent research exploring what is known about how Oregonians perceive the issue of climate change, this article reviews a small number of projects that have attempted to assess and characterize the climate change impacts on cultural and built environments, including tribal resources. Finally, the authors briefly describe the mechanisms and potential effects of climate change on public health.

Authors: 
D. Lach et al
Product Number: 
ORESU-R-10-022
Source (Journal Article): 
Chapter 9 in Oregon Climate Assessment Report (OCAR) Legislative Summary
DOI Number (Journal Article): 
http://occri.net/ocar
Year of Publication: 
2010
Price: 
NA
Length: 
21 pp.
Miscellaneous: 
Additional authors: J. Cone, B. Doppelt, M. Heumann, T. Inman, K. MacKendrick, B. Steel, and S. Vynne