Techno-optimistic scientists take fewer climate actions

Technological innovation is key to mitigating climate change, yet excessive faith in technology may undermine the wider societal transformations needed to address it. In their roles as knowledge producers and trusted public figures, scientists play an important part in shaping how societies understand and respond to climate change. We examine techno-optimism—here defined as the belief that technology will largely solve the problems caused by climate change—among scientists using survey data from N = 9199
scientists across 115 countries. Our findings show that techno-optimism is most prevalent among scientists in applied and natural sciences, and among those with right-leaning political views, but does not vary with the extent to which one’s research is related to climate change. Techno-optimistic scientists are substantially less likely to engage in civic climate action (23% lower) or make high-impact lifestyle changes (18% lower). We hope that our study can contribute to a critical discussion about how scientists’ own beliefs and worldviews shape their understanding of, and engagement in, climate action.