Psychology of climate change denial

A cartoon to describe the different stages and behaviours of climate change denial from "what is climate change?" to "nothing is proven!" to "even if it exists...it's a huge opportunity for business!"

The psychology of climate change denial is the study of why people deny climate change, despite the scientific consensus on climate change. A study assessed public perception and action on climate change on grounds of belief systems, and identified seven psychological barriers affecting behavior that otherwise would facilitate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental stewardship: cognition, ideological worldviews, comparisons to key people, costs and momentum, disbelief in experts and authorities, perceived risks of change, and inadequate behavioral changes.[1][2] Other factors include distance in time, space, and influence.

Reactions to climate change may include anxiety, depression, despair, dissonance, uncertainty, insecurity, and distress, with one psychologist suggesting that "despair about our changing climate may get in the way of fixing it."[3] The American Psychological Association has urged psychologists and other social scientists to work on psychological barriers to taking action on climate change.[4] The immediacy of a growing number of extreme weather events are thought to motivate people to deal with climate change.[5]

  1. ^ Lejano, Raul P. (16 September 2019). "Ideology and the Narrative of Climate Skepticism". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 100 (12): ES415–ES421. Bibcode:2019BAMS..100S.415L. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0327.1. ISSN 0003-0007.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Green, Emily (13 October 2017). "The Existential Dread of Climate Change". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
  4. ^ Swim, Janet. "Psychology and Global Climate Change: Addressing a Multi-faceted Phenomenon and Set of Challenges. A Report by the American Psychological Association's Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology and Global Climate Change" (PDF). American Psychological Association. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ Hersher, Rebecca (4 January 2023). "How our perception of time shapes our approach to climate change". NPR. Archived from the original on 9 January 2023.