CEP has just announced the first Keynote speaker for its conference in Auckland in May as Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, MBE.

Prof. Whitmarsh is Europe’s leading light on the psychology of climate change with a special focus on perceptions and behaviour in relation to climate change, energy and transport.

Making the announcement, Mike Hopkins, CEO of CEP said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have Prof Whitmarsh addressing the conference. We constantly hear the question in New Zealand about how we influence public behaviour to reduce emissions – especially around transport choices. We’ll have some answers here at the end of May – and some examples of what works and what doesn’t.”

“We all have our part to play in reducing emissions and our personal choices will make the biggest impact”, continued Hopkins. “Prof Whitmarsh understands the triggers that will deliver the change we need and knows how to influence those choices. We will learn a huge amount about how to get this right.”

As well as being one of the world’s leading lights on climate change psychology, Professor Whitmarsh has worked extensively with central and local government to change behaviours. She is at the forefront of understanding climate behaviour change, especially when it comes to transport, and will be delivering invaluable insight on how different initiatives have worked in Europe. Her publications include studies of energy efficiency behaviours, waste reduction, perceptions of smart technologies and electric vehicles, low-carbon lifestyles, responses to climate change and the drivers of pro-environmental behaviour shifts.

She has been a special advisor to the House of Lords, was one of the lead authors of the IPCC’s AR6 (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Sixth Assessment Report) and is currently Expert Advisor to the UK’s Department of Transport and its All-Party Parliamentary Group on Green New Deal. She is a Director at the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (Bath), which considers how society must adapt to reduce emissions.

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