Who we are

Dartmouth's Initiative for Energy Communication Transformation (DIRECT) is a pioneering 'research-and-action hub' that conducts interdisciplinary studies on the societal impacts of climate change and energy transition. Leveraging insights from neuroscience, psychology, and economics, this community-focused hub was recently established across Dartmouth College's Departments of Environmental Studies, Psychological & Brain Sciences, and Computer Science.

DIRECT engages in four key areas:

  1. Multidisciplinary research on cognitive processes, behavioral economics, and social psychology to understand how different demographic groups perceive and respond to climate and energy information;

  2. Developing evidence-based communication strategies tailored to diverse audiences, including policymakers, industry leaders, and community organizers;

  3. Collaboration with governmental bodies, NGOs, and private sector entities to enhance their climate and energy transition communication approaches;

  4. Experiential education for the next generation of climate communicators through specialized courses and hands-on research opportunities.

Filling a Need

  • In 1990, the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a seminal report highlighting the urgent need to address the environmental impacts of increasing carbon emissions. Since then, five additional reports have reinforced this call with escalating urgency. Despite these warnings, effective communication strategies remain elusive. The IPCC's guidance for scientists emphasizes confidence and visual communication, but these tactics overlook the complexities of human decision-making, which is often influenced by cognitive biases and heuristics rather than rational considerations.

  • Current research on climate communication primarily relies on self-reporting, which is limited by biases, memory constraints, and interviewer influences. This approach often yields disjointed and conflicting findings, contributing to the "action-intention gap," where individuals express intentions to act sustainably but fail to do so. The lack of construct validity in self-reporting methods underscores the need for innovative research approaches.

  • The climate crisis demands immediate attention, as evidenced by two critical facts: The past decade has seen record-breaking temperatures, with severe implications for ecosystems and human health. Additionally, coastal communities are facing increased flooding and erosion due to melting ice caps and glaciers as the acceleration of sea-levels continues to rise.

The DIRECT Lab is revolutionizing climate and energy communication. We fuse neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral science to crack the code on what truly moves people, designing audience-first strategies that don’t just inform but drive real, measurable action for a more sustainable, resilient future.

Key Initiatives:

  • Applied Neuroscience Lab

    Last summer, we established a multi-methodological lab to capture in-moment brain and body responses to climate communications.

    To broaden our reach to national and international sample populations, we are also developing a large-scale online assessment tool to measure automatic attitudes toward energy-related concepts.

  • Decoding the Science of Action

    By integrating real-time neural data from various central and peripheral nervous system measurements into artificial intelligence models, we map how brain and body responses predict sustainability behaviors, turning subconscious drivers into actionable insights for climate communication that sparks real change.

  • Driving Impact and Broadening Perspectives

    Harnessing our powerful academic-industry networks in advertising, we develop and deliver targeted sustainability and energy messages — then measure their real-world reach and influence.

    By partnering with Middle Tennessee State University—a campus known for its vibrant mix of political viewpoints—we boost the diversity and representativeness of our sample, strengthening the real-world relevance of our findings. We actively invite new academic, industry, and creative collaborators to join our impact-driven work.

  • Building Local Impact

    By forging strong relationships with community stakeholders, we’re creating collaborative partnerships that drive meaningful climate action at both local and regional levels. Through initiatives like the Community Partnerships for Climate Resilience course, students work side-by-side with local organizations to tackle real-world challenges, learning directly from community voices and building solutions together. This approach deepens support for sustainability efforts and empowers communities and students alike to lead the path toward a more resilient future.

By bridging the gap between intention and action, the DIRECT lab is poised to revolutionize climate communication strategies and contribute meaningfully to global sustainability efforts.

Contact us

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