Emotions and Psychology Involved with Climate ChangeThe Psychology of Climate Change Denial, WIRED, 12/2009
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Climate change is disturbing. It’s something we don’t want to think about. So what we do in our everyday lives is create a world where it’s not there, and keep it distant.
For relatively privileged people like myself, we don’t have to see the impact in everyday life. I can read about different flood regimes in Bangladesh, or people in the Maldives losing their islands to sea level rise, or highways in Alaska that are altered as permafrost changes. But that’s not my life. We have a vast capacity for this. Kari Marie Norgaard |
The id and the eco - Thinking about climate change makes people feel helpless and anxious – but that’s why we must talk about it openly, Rosemary Randall, aeon, December 2012.
"People know there is a problem — but they would rather not know. The anxiety that comes with reflecting on climate change might be unbearable, and the guilt it provokes might be crushing. It’s just too painful to accept the reality of it. Difficult knowledge can threaten someone’s sense of identity, put them at odds with their family, undermine their chosen life-path or bring their values into question.
... "So what can make a difference to how we feel and talk about climate change? The existence of a ‘safe space’ where feelings can be explored, dilemmas examined and people’s creativity engaged is critical. We need environments in which we can face loss, tolerate anxiety, re-frame identity, and re-negotiate social relationships. Only then can the dark shadow that climate change casts be lifted. |
Psychologists have discovered the secret to making people care about climate change by encouraging people to consider their own future legacy, - Washington Post, January 2016.
The 7 psychological reasons that are stopping us from acting on climate change - To save the planet, we might have to not only change our energy systems – but how we talk to each other, Washington Post, December 2014.
- Full Report: CONNECTING ON CLIMATE: A Guide to Effective Climate Change Communication - Provides insights and evidence about how to communicate effectively about climate change, ecoAmerica and the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED) at Columbia University's Earth Institute, December 2014.
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Climate Change Will Have Broad Psychological Effects, Report Finds - Stress, anxiety, PTSD among likely impacts to overall well-being, American Psychological Association, June 2014. Full Report: BEYOND STORMS & DROUGHTS: The Psychological Impacts of Climate Change - Provides an overview of the ways in which climate change may impact individuals’ mental health and psychological functioning, as well as tips to engage the public and prepare and strengthen communities, (Summary), American Psychological Association and ecoAmerica, June 2014. |
Climate Change and the American Mind Series - Beginning in 2009, George Mason University launched a series of reports on Americans' beliefs, attitudes, policy preferences, and actions based on nationally representative surveys. The Fall 2015 report details results from their latest national survey, (Power Point), George Mason University.
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