On 20 March 2025, the AER as MAIA ambassador was invited to the policy roundtable on behavioural change and civil society knowledge in the European sustainable transition organised by the MAIA & I-CHANGE projects on 20 March 2025 in Brussels.
The event gathered experts, researchers and policymakers to discuss the role of behavioural change and citizen engagement in driving Europe’s sustainable transition and how citizen knowledge and participation are critical levers for systemic change, aligning with the European Green Deal’s ambitious goals and Horizon Europe‘s findings.
Both projects align with the ambition of tackling climate action through practical actions. MAIA strives to make climate research developed within EU-funded projects more accessible and ready to be transformed into commercially viable products, and I-CHANGE is dedicated to empowering citizens and civil society as key drivers of environmental protection and climate action, fostering direct participation.
Rethinking institutions and policymaking to drive a sustainable green transition: the key role of informed citizens
The event aimed to address the importance of democracy within climate-based policymaking, with the key role of aware citizens in changing their behaviour as a necessary milestone to stand up to the challenges posed by climate change and fully align with the green transition. There is a perceived gap between research and policymaking, and fostering dialogue on how behavioural science can better inform European strategies led to the need to redesign the traditional policymaking approaches. Instead of making space for citizens to sit at the same table with policymakers, challenges posed by climate change are telling us to redesign the table together with citizens. A holistic approach that integrates community-led action and interdisciplinary collaboration is necessary to empower citizens to be active agents in order to achieve a sustainable green transition.
Keynote speaker Dr Theresa Scavenius (Associate Professor at Aalborg University and Member of the Danish Parliament) emphasised that climate change and democracy are interconnected challenges. While citizens need to play a crucial role in shaping policies, there is a growing disconnect between institutional decision-making and public engagement. Complex and highly technical climate policies risk alienating citizens, paradoxically counteracting the core scope of the policies.
The panel discussions further explored these challenges, emphasising the importance of redesigning decision-making processes to be more inclusive and co-creative. Changing citizen behaviour need to go hand-in-hand with institutional reforms that make policies more adaptive and accessible. The concept of “Societal Readiness Level (SRL)”, defined by the Innovation Fund Denmark, was highlighted as a valuable framework for assessing the preparedness of communities to adopt sustainable behaviours.
How to move forward: a green transition led by citizens
Participatory governance needs to move beyond symbolic consultation and embrace true power-sharing with citizens, as remarked by Kamelia Georgieva (Climate and Sustainability Sociologist and co-founder of BehaviorSMART). Strategies such as participatory mapping illustrated by Ami Crowther (Postdoctoral research fellow at the Global Sustainability Institute, Anglia Ruskin University), narrative-driven communication to combat misinformation in different case studies illustrated by Saha Balaganesh (Network Engagement Lead at The Democratic Society – DemSoc) and Dr Anant Jani (Researcher at the University of Oxford and Member of the NNEdPRo Global Centre for Nutrition and Health), co-creation and modification of policies through strategy games by Professor Claude Garcia (Bern University of Applied Science) were presented as powerful tools to enhance citizens’ awareness and participation to policymaking. The discussion touched on the risks of misinformation and polarisation, emphasising the need for continuous knowledge-sharing and community-driven dialogue, as aware citizens are careful citizens.
Enhancing collaboration between researchers, policymakers, and practitioners is crucial for co-designing citizen-centred pathways to sustainability. Horizon Europe projects like MAIA and I-CHANGE play a vital role in bridging scientific research and policy implementation, embedding citizen-driven approaches into EU policies for more inclusive governance. Moreover, acknowledging the role of citizen awareness in driving behavioural change and fostering trust through transparent, participatory policymaking is essential. Ultimately, citizen science and participatory governance are not only beneficial but fundamental to advancing Europe’s green transition.
AER is part of the MAIA Ambassadors program
The AER is proud to be an ambassador of the MAIA project (Maximising Impact and Accessibility of European Climate Research), funded by the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Union.
