Video games may make it easier for teens to discuss mental health

Reports and Proceedings

RADBOUD UNIVERSITY NIJMEGEN

Depression is common among young people, but this target group often does not get the help they need. Books, exercise, and other depression prevention programmes do not achieve the envisioned results for everyone. Video games might help reach another part of this target group. Anouk Tuijnman co-developed two applied video games to target depression in adolescents and will defend her PhD at Radboud University on 28 November.

Previous research revealed limitations in the effectiveness of existing depression prevention programmes: improvements to those programmes did not lead to sufficient results, and the programmes were unable  to effectively reach all young people. Tuijnman's research focused on the social context of depression: “A lot is happening in young people's lives when it comes to social interactions. Friends become increasingly important, but as a result, the impact of rejection on mental health also increases,” Tuijnman explains.

“I wanted to explore whether we could develop materials that help and support young people in finding help. In the process, my attention soon turned to video games. We were inspired by games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Dark Souls, which we know have a positive impact for many people. Video games can provide an environment in which you can meet like-minded people, but also learn to deal with difficult moments.”

“Games have unique characteristics: they are a great learning environment to practice behaviour without consequences. We also know that interventions are more effective if they are entertaining and motivating. This is relevant because many existing anti-depression programmes can be quite boring. The message is more likely to stick if you use video games.”

Two video games

To test this hypothesis, Tuijnman joined forces with game developers to develop two applied video games: Moving Stories and ScrollQuest. In ScrollQuest, an action game, four players work together to defeat monsters and collect gold while responding to various social situations in the game's story. Tuijnman had fathers and sons play the game together to see how they reacted to these situations. “In the game, players get rejected. We explored whether fathers could guide their sons in dealing with these feelings of rejection. A first study found that the video game could successfully evoke feelings of rejection, and that the presence of fathers could mitigate negative feelings. But we did not observe any real learning moments yet. A second study showed that if young adults would play the game alone with online players, they could also experience feelings of rejection, but at the same time feel motivated to continue playing. We also found differences between young people who were more sensitive to rejection and those who were not.”

In Moving Stories, the players are concerned about Lisa, their fictional cousin, being depressed. They spend time with her in a house, trying to help her. They are presented with various options to help Lisa, which the virtual avatar then provides feedback on. Tuijnman: “We had an entire class play Moving Stories, after which we organised a Q&A session for the students with someone who had suffered from depression. We saw that participation reduced some of the stigma around mental health in secondary school. We also saw that conversations arose between students on the subject.”

Not a treatment tool (yet)

Tuijnman says that there are no plans to deploy the two video games in their current form. “If we want to do it well, we need more budget and time. However, ScrollQuest and Moving Stories do offer valuable insights for research and practice. They prove that video games have a lot of potential for improving mental health. In her current research, Tuijnman, who is now affiliated with the Trimbos Institute, is, among other things, looking at ways to help children and young people achieve a healthy digital balance in their lives.

Previous research revealed limitations in the effectiveness of existing depression prevention programmes: improvements to those programmes did not lead to sufficient results, and the programmes were unable  to effectively reach all young people. Tuijnman's research focused on the social context of depression: “A lot is happening in young people's lives when it comes to social interactions. Friends become increasingly important, but as a result, the impact of rejection on mental health also increases,” Tuijnman explains.

“I wanted to explore whether we could develop materials that help and support young people in finding help. In the process, my attention soon turned to video games. We were inspired by games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Dark Souls, which we know have a positive impact for many people. Video games can provide an environment in which you can meet like-minded people, but also learn to deal with difficult moments.”

“Games have unique characteristics: they are a great learning environment to practice behaviour without consequences. We also know that interventions are more effective if they are entertaining and motivating. This is relevant because many existing anti-depression programmes can be quite boring. The message is more likely to stick if you use video games.”

Two video games

To test this hypothesis, Tuijnman joined forces with game developers to develop two applied video games: Moving Stories and ScrollQuest. In ScrollQuest, an action game, four players work together to defeat monsters and collect gold while responding to various social situations in the game's story. Tuijnman had fathers and sons play the game together to see how they reacted to these situations. “In the game, players get rejected. We explored whether fathers could guide their sons in dealing with these feelings of rejection. A first study found that the video game could successfully evoke feelings of rejection, and that the presence of fathers could mitigate negative feelings. But we did not observe any real learning moments yet. A second study showed that if young adults would play the game alone with online players, they could also experience feelings of rejection, but at the same time feel motivated to continue playing. We also found differences between young people who were more sensitive to rejection and those who were not.”

In Moving Stories, the players are concerned about Lisa, their fictional cousin, being depressed. They spend time with her in a house, trying to help her. They are presented with various options to help Lisa, which the virtual avatar then provides feedback on. Tuijnman: “We had an entire class play Moving Stories, after which we organised a Q&A session for the students with someone who had suffered from depression. We saw that participation reduced some of the stigma around mental health in secondary school. We also saw that conversations arose between students on the subject.”

Not a treatment tool (yet)

Tuijnman says that there are no plans to deploy the two video games in their current form. “If we want to do it well, we need more budget and time. However, ScrollQuest and Moving Stories do offer valuable insights for research and practice. They prove that video games have a lot of potential for improving mental health. In her current research, Tuijnman, who is now affiliated with the Trimbos Institute, is, among other things, looking at ways to help children and young people achieve a healthy digital balance in their lives.

 

This sea worm’s butt swims away, and now scientists know how

Armed with its own eyes, antennae, and swimming bristles, the posterior body part detaches for spawning. UTokyo scientists revealed its developmental mechanism for the first time.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO

 

IMAGE: 

A MATURE MEGASYLLIS NIPPONICA WITH A DEVELOPING FEMALE STOLON. 

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CREDIT: NAKAMURA ET AL 2023

A research team, led by Professor Toru Miura from the University of Tokyo, shows how the expression of developmental genes in the Japanese green syllid worms, Megasyllis nipponica, helps form their swimming reproductive unit called stolon.  

 

Life always finds ways to surprise us. The presence of a unique reproductive mechanism of some annelid worms or segmented worms is one such surprise. In a process called stolonization, the posterior body part with gonads of the syllid worm detaches from its original body. The detached part is called the stolon, and it is full of gametes (eggs or sperms). The stolon swims around by itself and spawns when it meets the opposite sex. Swimming autonomously would not only protect the original body from environmental dangers but could also help its gametes disperse over larger distances. 

 

To swim autonomously, the stolons develop their own eyes, antennae, and swimming bristles while still attached to their original body. But how does the stolon head form in the middle of the original body? 

 

The mystery surrounding the development of the stolon’s head within the original body has long perplexed scientists. Professor Miura’s research, driven by a keen interest in the evolutionary transitions of developmental systems in animal life cycles, has finally brought clarity to this intriguing phenomenon. Careful histological and morphological observations revealed that the stolon formation starts with the maturation of gonads in the posterior end. Then forms a head in the anterior part of the developing stolon. Sense organs such as eyes and antennae, and swimming bristles form soon after. Before the stolon detaches, it develops nerves and a ‘brain’ to sense and behave independently.  

 

To understand the development of stolon’s head, Miura and his team investigated the developmental gene expression patterns of the sexually maturing worms. A well-known group of head formation genes are known to define the head region of various animals. Miura and team found that these genes are expressed more in the head region of the stolon. Typically, the head formation genes are not expressed as much in the middle of the body. But during gonad development in syllids, head formation genes are highly expressed in the middle of the posterior end of the original body. “This shows how normal developmental processes are modified to fit the life history of animals with unique reproductive styles,” explains Miura. 

 

Hox genes determine the body segmentation along the syllids’ body. Miura and team thought that those genes would be expressed differently along the anterior-posterior axis. “Interestingly, the expressions of Hox genes that determine body-part identity were constant during the process,” says Miura. As a result, the stolons lack differentiated digestive tract and have repeated uniform body segments (except for the head and tail). “This indicates that only the head part is induced at the posterior body part to control spawning behavior for reproduction.”  

 

The study not only revealed the developmental mechanism of stolons for the first time but also sparked further inquiry into the intricacies of this bizarre reproductive method. “We would like to clarify the sex determination mechanism and the endocrine regulations underlying the reproductive cycles in syllids,” concludes Miura. 

 

 A swimming Megasyllis nipponic [VIDEO] | 

A schematic diagram showing the developmental process of stolonization.

CAPTION

The top illustration shows staging based on morphological characteristics. The lower bands show the transitions in gene expressions upregulated in anterior (blue) and posterior (orange) body parts.  

CREDIT

Nakamura et al 2023

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JOURNAL

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-023-46358-8 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Morphological, Histological and Gene-Expression Analyses on Stolonization in the Japanese Green Syllid, Megasyllis nipponica (Annelida, Syllidae)

 

New study on experience of adopted people as they become parents

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

Becoming a parent is a key turning point for adopted people

Parenting is always challenging, but for adopted people becoming a mum or dad can be extra demanding, as well as extra special – according to research from the University of East Anglia.

A new study is the first in to investigate the lived experiences of adopted people in the UK as they become parents.

It finds that they are affected by issues that link back to their adoption and to difficult experiences in their past – related to loss, rejection, abuse and neglect.

Because of these difficult early experiences, many adoptees experience significant challenges, particularly as teenagers and young adults.

These included mental health problems, emotional and behavioural difficulties, education and employment, relationship problems, and substance misuse.

But while many people were parenting under the pressure of also trying to manage these challenges, becoming a mum or dad was often a key turning point and a motivation to turn their lives around.

Lead researcher Prof Beth Neil, from UEA’s School of Social Work, said: “Adoption is a life-changing event, and it is really important to understand how people are affected throughout their whole life - not just in childhood.

“Becoming a parent is a key life experience, but the research on adopted people becoming parents is very limited and has not tended to include people adopted through the child protection system, or the experiences of adopted men as fathers.

“We wanted to better understand the issues faced by people who are adopted, as they become parents themselves.”

The team worked with 20 adopted men and 20 adopted women – who were interviewed about their experiences.

Most of the participants were in their 20s and 30s and all had been adopted under the age of 12 – with two thirds having been adopted through the child protection system.

Almost a quarter of the parents in the study were not living with their children - including some who had themselves lost their children to care or adoption.

Prof Neil said: “We guided them to break down their life into key chapters and talk through the high points, the low points and the turning points that were most significant to them. We wanted to understand adopted people’s life stories in their own words.

“What we found is that when adopted people become parents, lots of issues can come up that link back to their adoption and to difficult experiences in their past such as issues of loss, rejection, abuse and neglect.

“For some, having their first child meant meeting the first person in their life that they had a biological connection to. Others were afraid they would not bond with their child or that their child would reject them.

“Because many of the participants had a history of abuse and neglect, thinking about their birth parents often raised anxieties that they would parent their own child poorly.

“The flipside of this was the determination to try and break cycles of abuse, and we saw that for many, becoming a parent was a positive turning point.

“Because the often-difficult backgrounds of the parents, many reported problems in their teenage years and as young adults with mental health, education and employment, substance misuse, relationships with parents and partners.

“Often these problems were ongoing when they became a mum or dad, threatening their parenting and playing into their biggest fear - that they might repeat negative cycles of neglect or abuse with their own children.

“Sadly, many adoptees feared that asking for help and expressing worries would lead to scrutiny of their parenting.

“Most people were managing well in their role as mum and dad, but a minority were still struggling with difficult problems, and a small number of parents had experienced their worst fear - the removal of their own children. For parents who were judged unable to look after their own children, not ‘breaking the cycle’ was devastating.”

The team say that support for adopted adults with mental health problems is a particularly pressing need, as parental mental health problems are a strong mediating factor in the link between childhood adversity and compromised parenting.

Where adoptees are still struggling with these issues when they become a parent, then support is needed at that life stage.

But ideally, the adoption system needs to recognise the need to provide support to adoptive families much earlier on, to prevent the difficulties that often become particularly challenging during the teenage years.

The study found that identity issues raised by both men and women were very similar.  This is important because almost all previous research had focused just on mothers. But fathers also felt deeply about the impact of adoption on their life, and issues linked to adoption came up for them when they became dads.

“This research highlights the need for more support for adopted people both in childhood and when they become parents themselves,” added Prof Neil.

This study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

‘How do adopted adults see the significance of adoption and being a parent in their life stories? A narrative analysis of 40 life story interviews with male and female adoptees’ is published in the journal Children and Youth Services Review.

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JOURNAL

Children and Youth Services Review

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

How do adopted adults see the significance of adoption and being a parent in their life stories? A narrative analysis of 40 life story interviews with male and female adoptees

 

Vaccine created by University of Tartu researchers to prevent a dangerous tropical disease received approval

Business Announcement

ESTONIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL

 

IMAGE: 

WORK IN TARTU UNIVERSITY`S VIROLOGY LAB. AUTHOR KASPAR KOOLMEISTER

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CREDIT: PHOTOGRAPHER KASPAR KOOLMEISTER

The chikungunya virus is widespread in tropical regions, where it is spread to humans by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes. Chikungunya is characterised by high fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, rash and sometimes diarrhoea. This viral disease has become a global health threat. At least five million cases of chikungunya virus infection have been reported in the last 15 years. The highest risk of infection is in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of the Americas where mosquitoes carrying the virus are endemic. However, chikungunya virus has also spread to new geographical areas, causing a rise in global prevalence of the disease. So far, there is no specific medicine for the disease.

According to Professor Andres Merits, head of the working group that prepared the vaccine candidate at the University of Tartu, the vaccine was assembled on a desk in room 435 of the Institute of Technology. Merits made a synthetic copy of the chikungunya virus genome, which was attenuated by introducing mutations into it by then UT virologists Aleksei and Valeria Lulla. The virus was first made in January 2011, then it was analysed and subjected to pre-clinical trials in collaboration with researchers from Sweden, the UK, France and other countries. "This is a major achievement – probably the first in Estonian research – where a vaccine designed and made by us becomes available for human use," said Merits.

Obtaining FDA approval is the most important step in the drug development process, which opens up the possibility of using the vaccine in the US. In other regions, it will need to be approved by other regulatory authorities, such as the European Medicines Agency in Europe. Usually, the FDA is the first to give approval, with others following suit some time later.

The application to the FDA was submitted in February 2023, so the approval was issued quite quickly. The approval will be followed by a rigorous follow-up to further assess the effectiveness of the vaccine and the adverse effects of its use. According to Merits, the biggest market for the vaccine is likely to be Brazil and other South American countries, as well as Southeast Asia, where the virus is a major problem. In the US, the vaccine is primarily intended for people wishing to travel to high-risk areas. 

 

Developing a new perspective for the EU beekeeping sector: B-GOOD legacy booklet

The EU Horizon 2020 project B-GOOD has published a special Legacy booklet to showcase its main achievements and key research for the past four and a half years.

Reports and Proceedings

PENSOFT PUBLISHERS

 

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B-GOOD LEGACY BOOKLET TITLE PAGE

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CREDIT: B-GOOD PROJECT

The aim of the B-GOOD project (Giving Beekeeping Guidance By Computational-Assisted Decision Making) was to pave the way towards healthy and sustainable beekeeping within the European Union by following a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach. By merging data from within and around beehives, as well as wider socioeconomic conditions and by developing and testing innovative tools to perform risk assessments, B-GOOD provided guidance for beekeepers and helped them make better and more informed decisions.

The communication of scientific information and the transformation of scientific results into practical recommendations are integral to the project’s success. To do so, B-GOOD has published a special Legacy booklet dedicated to the project’s main achievements and key research. Their visual impact promotes memorability, making complex concepts more digestible and they demonstrate real-world applications more easily.

The first part summarises the key findings of each work package, thus offering a glimpse into what B-GOOD has achieved throughout the project’s duration. In the spirit of delivering practice-relevant research outputs, the second part of the new booklet contains a section for its key published research papers, focusing on the publications’ main outcomes with practical value. It contains 15 graphical abstracts produced thus far, providing concise recommendations on the benefits to the stakeholder when the generated knowledge is implemented.

Professor Dirk de Graaf, B-GOOD’s coordinator, says “Over the past four and a half years, the B-GOOD project has given us the opportunity to develop a new perspective for the beekeeping sector in Europe. The use of advanced technologies was herewith not avoided. While this new perspective initially looked very futuristic and perhaps even daring, it has now become really concrete and we notice a growing enthusiasm among the actors in the beekeeping sector. The legacy of B-GOOD cannot be underestimated. I am proud that I was able to be part of this.”

Access the legacy booklet here.

 

Can sound stimulation lessen long-term concussion symptoms?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

New research indicates that acoustic stimulation of the brain may ease persistent symptoms in individuals who experienced mild traumatic brain injury in the past.

The study, which is published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, included 106 military service members, veterans, or their spouses with persistent symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury 3 months to 10 years ago. Participants were randomized 1:1 to receive 10 sessions of engineered tones linked to brainwaves (intervention), or random engineered tones not linked to brainwaves (sham control). All participants rested comfortably in a zero-gravity chair in the dark with eyes closed and listened to the computer-generated tones via earbud-style headphones. The primary outcome was change in symptom scores, with secondary outcomes of heart rate variability and self-reported measures of sleep, mood, and anxiety.

Among all study participants, symptom scores clinically and statistically improved compared with baseline, with benefits largely sustained at 3 months and 6 months; however, there were no significant differences between the intervention and control groups. Similar patterns were observed for secondary outcomes.

The results indicate that although acoustic stimulation is associated with marked improvement in postconcussive symptoms, listening to acoustic stimulation based on brain electrical activity, as it was delivered in this study, may not improve symptoms, brain function, or heart rate variability more than randomly generated, computer engineered acoustic stimulation.

"Postconcussive symptoms have proven very difficult to treat, and the degree of improvement seen in this study is virtually unheard of, though further research is needed to identify what elements are key to its success," said corresponding author Michael J. Roy, MD, MPH, of Uniformed Services University and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda.

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acn3.51937

 

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology is a peer-reviewed journal for rapid dissemination of high-quality research related to all areas of neurology. The journal publishes original research and scholarly reviews focused on the mechanisms and treatments of diseases of the nervous system; high-impact topics in neurologic education; and other topics of interest to the clinical neuroscience community.

About Wiley
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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JOURNAL

Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology

DOI

10.1002/acn3.51937 

ARTICLE TITLE

Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial of Acoustic Stimulation to Reduce Postconcussive Symptoms

 

In Nepalese survey, 1 in 5 men who have sex with men report having attempted suicide, with over 40 percent experiencing some suicidal ideation

Peer-Reviewed Publication

PLOS

 

IMAGE: 

A MAN SITS HOLDING HIS HEAD.

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CREDIT: CRISTOPHER CATBAGAN, CC-BY 4.0 (HTTPS://CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/LICENSES/BY/4.0/)

In Nepalese survey, 1 in 5 men who have sex with men report having attempted suicide, with over 40 percent experiencing some suicidal ideation.

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Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0002348

Article Title: Suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt among men who have sex with men in Nepal: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Author Countries: Nepal, USA

Funding: RS received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Award Number: K01DA051346). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. The authors received no specific funding for this work.

 

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JOURNAL

PLOS Global Public Health

DOI

10.1371/journal.pgph.0002348 

ARTICLE TITLE

Suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt among men who have sex with men in Nepal: Findings from a cross-sectional study

Does spaceflight increase men’s risk of erectile dysfunction?

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WILEY

During missions into space, astronauts are exposed to high levels of galactic cosmic radiation and weightlessness. Simulation experiments in male rats indicated that these aspects of spaceflight can negatively affect vascular tissues relevant to erectile dysfunction, even after a period of long-term recovery.

The research, which is published in The FASEB Journal, indicated that vascular alterations are induced by relatively low doses of galactic cosmic radiation and to a lesser extent simulated weightlessness, primarily through increases in oxidative stress. Treatment with different antioxidants could counter some of these effects.

“With manned missions to outer space planned for the coming years, this work indicates that sexual health should be closely monitored in astronauts upon their return to Earth,” said corresponding author Justin D. La Favor, PhD, of Florida State University. “While the negative impacts of galactic cosmic radiation were long-lasting, functional improvements induced by acutely targeting the redox and nitric oxide pathways in the tissues suggest that the erectile dysfunction may be treatable.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1096/fj.202300506RR

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
The FASEB Journal publishes high quality and impactful multidisciplinary research covering biology and biomedical sciences at every level of organization: atomic, molecular, cell, tissue, organ, organismic, and population. The journal’s scope includes the spectrum of biological and biomedical sciences as well as interdisciplinary research cutting across multiple fields and extending in related areas.

About Wiley
Wiley is a knowledge company and a global leader in research, publishing, and knowledge solutions. Dedicated to the creation and application of knowledge, Wiley serves the world’s researchers, learners, innovators, and leaders, helping them achieve their goals and solve the world's most important challenges. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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JOURNAL

The FASEB Journal

DOI

10.1096/fj.202300506RR 

ARTICLE TITLE

Neurovascular dysfunction associated with erectile dysfunction persists after long-term recovery from simulations of weightlessness and deep space irradiation

 

“Not dead yet” - Oxford experts identify interventions that could rescue 1.5°C

To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global heating to 1.5°C, global annual emissions will need to drop radically over the coming decades. Today [22 Nov], a new paper from climate economists at the University of Oxford says that this goal

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

To meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and limit global heating to 1.5°C, global annual emissions will need to drop radically over the coming decades. Today [22 Nov], a new paper from climate economists at the University of Oxford says that this goal could still be within our reach. They identify key “sensitive intervention points” that could unlock significant progress towards the Paris Agreement with the least risk and highest impact. These include:

• Investing in clean energy technologies with consistent cost declines
• Enacting central bank policies to reduce the value of polluting assets
• Improving climate-related financial risk disclosure.

'This is not to suggest that reaching the Paris goals will be straightforward, or easy, but like Achilles’ heel, our research points to the areas that could have an outsized impact,' says lead author Dr Penny Mealy, associate at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, University of Oxford.

'We need climate policies which are pragmatic and practical, designed with an understanding of where the economy and technologies are capable of quickly transforming our economies for the better. These are those policy areas. This is how we design policy for 1.5°C,' affirms co-author Dr Pete Barbrook-Johnson of the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment.

The research also highlights the areas where interventions will be more difficult and less impactful, including nuclear fission, which would be slow to roll out and could have unintended consequences; and carbon capture and storage, which presents both high barriers and risks.

To reach their conclusions, the authors devised a new framework for identifying sensitive intervention points, or SIPs, that have the characteristics necessary to radically decarbonize our global economy.

SIPs include critical tipping points – like renewable energy becoming cheaper than coal; critical points in networks – like powerful political figures or important technologies, and critical points in time or “windows of opportunity” that might prime the existing systems for change, such as the Covid-19 pandemic. These intervention points must be assessed by the ease with which they can be implemented, their impact potential, and the potential for creating risks. The authors stress that, while the framework is highly applicable to climate change, it could also be applied to solving other economic and social problems.

The ratings provided for each SIP intervention were applied subjectively based on discussions with experts, literature research, and modelling. The framework can and should be applied regularly to reassess priorities as new data and insights become available, the authors say.

Co-author Dr Matt Ives, comments, '1.5°C is not dead yet, but targeted and speedy interventions that can bring about the non-linear change necessary to keep it alive. As COP28 nears, our research highlights key sensitive intervention points we can prioritise to help turn the tide, while providing a valuable framework for policymakers.'

Sensitive intervention points: a strategic approach to climate action is published today, 22nd November, in the Oxford Review of Economic Policy.

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JOURNAL

Oxford Review of Economic Policy

DOI

10.1093/oxrep/grad043 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

ARTICLE TITLE

Sensitive intervention points: a strategic approach to climate action