‘Sustainable Choices’ - An intervention to promote climate change mitigation behaviours: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Journal article

Introduction: The latest climate reports underscore the importance of climate change mitigation behaviours in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving the climate goals. There is a growing demand among the general population for guidance on sustainable behaviour change. Previous research has indicated that behavioural interventions could play a significant role in facilitating this type of behaviour change. However, the effectiveness of such approaches has yet to be rigorously tested under scientific conditions. This project aims to assess whether a novel, intervention “Sustainable Choices” effectively promotes climate change mitigation behaviours when compared to a control condition. Methods: Voluntary participants will be recruited from the general population in Sweden and randomized to either “Sustainable Choices”, an online, behavioural intervention targeted at Climate Change Mitigation Behaviours (CCMBs), or a waitlist, both 5 weeks of duration. The target sample size is N = 680. The primary outcome of the study will be pre- to post-intervention difference in climate change mitigation behaviours, measured with the Climate Mitigation Behaviour Scale (CLIMBS). Secondary outcomes will include acceptability measures and effects on psychological well-being. Naturalistic follow-up assessments will be administered at 1-, 3- and 6-months after the post-measurement. Discussion: The increasing awareness of the link between climate change and individual sustainable lifestyle choices has generated a significant interest in this field. Our aim is to evaluate a scalable intervention targeted at CCMBs, while also promoting psychological well-being associated with sustainable lifestyles.

Authors: Lenhard, F; Fernández de la Cruz, L; Fuso Nerini, F; Axelsson, K; Mataix-Cols, D

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Journal: PLoS ONE
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 3
• Pages: e0346303
• Article number: e0346303
• Publication date: 2026-03-31
• Acceptance date: 2026-03-16
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0346303
• EISSN: 1932-6203
• ISSN: 1932-6203
• Language: English