21.03.2025New Article: Sociologists including Fabian Winter on «Time’s Up? How Temporal Maps of Climate Change Shape Climate Action»

Personal concern for the climate is a great motivator to step up against climate change, to be sure. But sociologists Ioana Sendroiu (University of Hong Kong), Amalia Álvarez-Benjumea (Spanish National Research Council), and Fabian Winter  (University of Zurich) show that what we think about others is important in a less desirable way than previously thought. While earlier efforts to inform about the urgency of climate change aimed to foster personal knowledge and action, Winter and his colleagues show that expecting too much concern in others can also be demotivating: The hope that others care and will reduce their carbon footprint can create an excuse to be off the hook. 

In «Time’s Up? How Temporal Maps of Climate Change Shape Climate Action», the researchers uncover how people’s mental timelines of climate change—what they expect in the future, what they believe others expect, and how they see past events—directly influence whether they take action, from mundane behaviors like recycling to political activism and protest. 

“We found that people’s own concern about the climate future drives them to act,” says co-author Fabian Winter. “But paradoxically, if they believe others are already concerned, they’re less likely to take action themselves.” 

Key Innovations:  

• The study explores how what people expect for the climate and what people think others expect shape our private and public climate action behavior. 
• It also examines how perceived tipping points— whether people believe it’s too late or too early to act is linked to lower climate action. 

Why It Matters: 

Using data from a large-scale survey, the study combines statistical analysis with sociological insights to examine how people make decisions about climate action. 

Understanding these temporal perceptions can help explain why climate action often falls short—even among those who care. The findings have vital implications for policymakers and activists aiming to mobilize broader engagement in the climate fight. 

“Climate action isn’t just about technologies, facts or urgency—it’s about how people perceive other’s actions and locate climate tipping points that shape our role in climate change efforts,” says Fabian Winter. “Our findings show that shifting those perceptions could be key to inspiring real change.” 

Read the full article here:

Sendroiu, I., Álvarez-Benjumea, A., & Winter, F. (2025). Time’s Up? How Temporal Maps of Climate Change Shape Climate Action. American Sociological Review, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224251320103 

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