Abstract Climate change is a pervasive phenomenon posing growing adverse effects on health, well‐being, and wealth worldwide. Perceptions of climate change, and opinions on how to mitigate it, vary across meaningful regional and cultural variables. Knowledge of baseline prototypes (i.e., mental images, exemplars) surrounding climate change can shape our understanding of people's perceptions and knowledge of climate change. Prototypes sway perceptions of event harm, victim suffering, and pro‐social intentions and behaviors. We proposed three registered studies to examine prototypical images and mental concepts of climate change victims, the places they inhabit, and how these prototypes relate to people's climate intentions (i.e., their likelihood of engaging in individual, and collective climate action, and environmental policy support). Further, we probed important place‐related (e.g., inhabited place, lived experiences there) and individual difference variables that should also impact prototypes and climate intentions. Results yield insight into socio‐ecological interactions that shape understanding of and action toward climate change mitigation.
Prokosch et al. (Wed,) studied this question.