“Here and now” strategy in Chinese publics' climate change engagement: Examining the roles of psychological distance and risk perception

Abstract Psychological distance poses an obstacle to public involvement in addressing climate change. Scholars have advocated the “here and now” strategy (highlighting the immediate and local impacts of climate change) based on psychological distance theory to address this issue, but its effectiveness has not met theoretical expectations. The current study aims to address the gap between psychological distance and climate change behavioural engagement by integrating the theoretical framework of risk perception. Through a 2 (temporal: 2025 vs. 2050) × 2 (spatial: China vs. Global) online experiment in China ( N = 411), we investigate how psychological distance influences climate change engagement via the mediator of risk perception. We found that proximal spatial distance amplifies the effect of temporal distance on risk perception, which in turn leads to higher risk perception, fostering greater support for government climate action and individual mitigation intentions. This research highlights the crucial role of risk perception in bridging psychological distance and climate engagement. To effectively motivate public engagement in the Chinese context, it is essential to carefully consider how climate change risks are presented in communication strategies based on psychological distance.