The Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) and the Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC) are delighted to be welcoming Dr Aurore Grandin, Fellow in Sustainability Science at Ecole Normale Superieure – PSL (ENS – PSL).
We would like to invite you to join us for Dr Grandin's talk on "The potential of carbon footprint calculators for behaviour change and collective transformation."
This event is open to all staff and students at the University of Bath. There is no need to pre-register, just turn up. If you would like to receive the calendar invite (which includes a link for joining online), please get in touch with Rebecca Megson-Smith at rms97@bath.ac.uk.
Carbon footprint calculators for behaviour change
One popular intervention to encourage climate action is the use of carbon footprint calculators. By providing users with personalised feedback, these tools aim to foster people’s climate literacy and motivate them to reduce their emissions. But evidence about the effectiveness of carbon footprint calculators remains limited.
In her talk, Dr Grandin will review existing literature and present findings from her doctoral research, involving an online study with a French sample. Participants used a personal carbon footprint calculator which compared their footprints to the national average.
Dr Grandin will highlight limitations in current research and also present her ideas for future projects. These include cross-cultural studies and field experiments. Specifically, Dr Grandin aims to conduct field experiments measuring the impact of educational interventions based on carbon footprint calculators in various contexts, such as professional settings or participatory planning processes.
About Dr Aurore Grandin
Aurore Grandin is a Fellow in Sustainability Science at ENS – PSL. She has a background in cognitive science and specialises in social and environmental psychology.
Her thesis, defended in 2024, focused on climate change mitigation and socio-cognitive barriers to action. She also studied the psychological determinants of biodiversity conservation practices.
Much of her work takes an applied research approach and is often conducted in partnership with non-academic stakeholders. Aurore teaches courses for the bachelor's degree and master's degree in Sustainability Science ENS – PSL.