Climate agency
The capacity to make choices and take actions that influence climate-related outcomes.
Example
People exercise agency through civic participation, work, purchasing and collective organising.
The catch
Available choices depend on institutions, infrastructure and resources.
In more depth
Climate agency, explained.
Climate agency grows from two beliefs, that you can carry out an action and that the action will make a difference. Psychologists call the first self-efficacy. Without the second, people may act once and stop, and studies of climate engagement suggest that worry without a route to action can turn into avoidance.
The widest agency often sits in roles. An engineer can change a specification, a tenant can organise with neighbours, and a pension saver can question a fund. Collapsing agency into shopping choices shrinks it. Organised groups reach decisions that no single purchase can, which is where collective efficacy and citizen participation come in.