Our responsibility to future generations: The case for intergenerational approaches to the study of climate change

In this short communication, we emphasize the need to study intergenerational mechanisms for climate action. We highlight that much research to date has focused on psychological factors related to political ideology and partisan identity, two strong predictors of proenvironmental action. We propose that intergenerational processes can be effectively harnessed to promote climate change mitigation and adaptation while largely avoiding issues of partisanship and polarization. We conclude by outlining potential future investigations on intergenerational approaches for the study of climate change.