Closing the Sacrifice Gap: Mainstreaming Climate Behavior for Meaningful Change

Many people feel deep concern about climate change, yet this worry barely translates to meaningful change. Even as climate risks become more visible, few are willing to make personal sacrifices. So, what helps turn climate concern into real, sustainable action? GlobeScan’s Societal Shift 2025 report explores how public attitudes, economic pressures, and enabling conditions shape climate behavior worldwide.

The Sacrifice Gap

The GlobeScan’s Societal Shift 2025 report shows strong public support for climate action, with 85% of respondents across 33 markets viewing a healthy environment as a driver of economic growth. Nearly half of respondents even strongly support environmentally friendly policies.

Yet, only 27% express willingness to sacrifice “a great deal” for this transition. People are most willing to make low-cost lifestyle changes, such as recycling or supporting environmentally committed politicians, but far less willing to make costlier climate sacrifices like minimizing living space or significantly reducing meat and dairy consumption.

The Global South shows the highest concern and readiness to act on climate change. Countries like Nigeria, Kenya, India, and Vietnam topped the Societal Shift Index. In these markets, 73–83% of respondents view climate change as very serious, and 97–99% see a green economy as essential. Despite that, only 43–55% are willing to make significant personal sacrifices.

Still, that number is far above Global North averages of 3–10% in countries such as Japan and Germany. These contrasts emphasize the importance of approaches that support Southern momentum while addressing hesitations in the Global North.

Economic & Emotional Barriers

Economic insecurity acts as the primary barrier, with rising living costs ranked highest among personal pressures in every surveyed market. Willingness to make costly climate sacrifices remains low, as only 33% are willing to pay higher taxes and 54% are willing to reduce their living space. Far more people support low-cost actions such as recycling at 89%. Simply put, affordability acts as a universal gatekeeper.

Then, emotional and perceptual factors further compound the gap. The feeling of fear, anxiety, grief, and shame are common in the face of climate news, contributing to climate fatigue. In the Global North, these negative emotions often dominate in the absence of relatable framing, weakening people’s sense of agency despite strong support for climate policies. As such, people tend to support climate measures that place responsibility on governments and companies, such as corporate regulations or investments in green technology, rather than actions that increase personal costs.

Climate Behavior to Real Impact

The biggest shares of responsibility and capacity to turn the tide on climate change lie on the world’s biggest powers: governments and major corporations. Nonetheless, real transformations require everyone to participate.

Individual citizens and consumers are not powerless. However, changes must be widespread and mainstream for individual climate behavior to create real impacts. Effective interventions and enabling systems must exist to empower a society to make meaningful changes toward a more sustainable lifestyle. After all, climate behavior does not exist in a vacuum.

Closing the Gap

The report delves into key recommendations to close the sacrifice gap and support climate behavior change:

Ground strategies in culture and emotions: Effective climate strategies must be grounded in people’s lived realities, reflecting local values and experiences rather than abstract ideals. Community-based dialogue and storytelling can help people process grief, anxiety, and climate fatigue so that hope can turn into action.
Reframe sustainability around health, affordability, and agency: Climate messages are most effective when they link action to tangible benefits such as better health, lower costs, and simpler daily choices. Communication should focus on clear, achievable steps that combine affordability and wellbeing. Framing sustainability as inevitable must also reinforce personal and collective agency, so people feel empowered to shape the transition.
Tackle climate fatigue with empowering stories: The report finds declining climate concern in many wealthier countries, driven by fatigue from constant crisis messaging. Shifting toward opportunity-focused narratives that emphasize shared benefits and practical solutions can help restore motivation. Communication should also be tailored by region and generation, reflecting different lived realities.
Link environmental progress to fair economies and wellbeing: People are more willing to act when sustainability is framed as strengthening jobs, health, and economic security rather than threatening livelihoods. Policies that lower emissions while improving public health and reducing living costs can minimize difficult personal trade-offs. Rather than asking individuals to shoulder financial sacrifice alone, institutions should provide support, protections, and incentives that make climate-friendly choices the easier and more affordable options.
Match engagement to regional readiness and show real leadership: Readiness for climate action varies widely, with many Global South countries showing strong concern and willingness to change, while parts of the Global North face skepticism and fatigue. Strategies should build on momentum where support is high and take a more pragmatic, trust-building approach where people fear loss. Across all regions, visible leadership from governments and businesses is essential to show that climate action is a shared responsibility, not an individual burden.