The psychology behind Climate Inaction

You don’t have to be a scientist or a climate activist to know that the earth is in a pretty bad shape. So how come, that despite the awareness and the urgency, we still seem to be so distant from climate action?

It’s not that we don’t care, in fact we (might) also have an honest desire to be and do better, but we struggle to put this into action.

And I’m not only talking about individuals. Change is not coming from the upper levels either, with governments being nowhere near in reaching targets and stick to commitments.

What is holding us back?

Climate Inaction

Climate psychologist Per Espen Stocknes says we have several “brain challenges” when we deal with something so abstract and invisible as the climate threat. Specifically, there are five barriers.

DISTANCE

When we hear about climate, we think about something far away, both in space and time. We hear about antarctic glaciers melting and targets to be achieved by 2050. Plus, we can’t see climate change. It feels distant from everyday life and problems, an issue which remains remote for the majority of us.

DOOM

Climate change is often framed as a looming disaster, bringing losses, cost and sacrifice. This, at first, creates fear in us. Once the fear is gone, we just want to avoid the topic. Media have bombarded us with catastrophic images which makes us feel helpless and exhausted. No wonder we want to avoid them.

DISSONANCE

The third defense is dissonance. If what we know (i.e. fossil fuel use contributes to global warming), conflicts with what we do (eat beef, drive, fly), then the cognitive dissonance sets in. We feel like hypocrites. Uncomfortable. To silence this feeling, we start making up excuses. “Changing my diet won’t save the world”, “my friend drives a bigger car”, or even question science as “climate has always changed”. We suddenly feel better about how we live by dismissing what we know.

DENIAL

If we ignore or lessen what we know about climate change, we find refuge from fear and guilt. Denial has nothing to do with a lack of knowledge or intelligence, but is rather a mechanism of defense in which I’m aware but I choose to live as if I don’t know.

IDENTITY

If climate change action crushes with my personal values and ways of living, then I’ll be more likely to neglect it. If I hold conservative values for instance, and hear from a liberal activist that governments have to expand in order to stop climate change, I will be less keen to believe that person. Cultural identity prevails over facts.

So how do we move beyond these five defenses that obstacle engagement and climate action?

We flip them into positive alternatives which encourage climate communication. The five D’s become the five S’s.

DISTANCE –> SOCIAL

We can bring climate closer by making it a social thing, by spreading solution-friendly alternatives. If we bring climate at home and make it a personal thing, people around will follow. A clear example is what happened with the rooftop solar panels: once they set in, they spread contagiously from neighbor to neighbor.

DOOM –> SUPPORTIVE

Forget about catastrophes and apocalypses. Let’s make climate about new opportunities. Better health thanks to a plant based diet, innovating technologies, new jobs and massive economic growth.

DISSONANCE –> SIMPLIER ACTIONS

Make climate-friendly behaviors spontaneous and convenient. For example, food waste can be reduced enormously by reducing the size of the plate at buffets. The plate will look full with less food on it. Actions like this can be taken on millions of things.

DENIAL –> SIGNAL

It’s crucial to tailor signals that visualize our progress. Every step is a step. Feeling like we have to climb the Everest all at once won’t help. It’s important to acknowledge and value the steps we make. There are apps that track your progress in becoming more eco-friendly and motivate you in keep going.

IDENTITY – STORIES

We need people to look up to. Good stories of pioneers and inspiring people that motivate and engage us. It’s gonna make the solution look closer, more real and above all, achievable.

Finally, let’s not be too hard on ourselves if we are not the perfect activists and find some obstacles along the way. It’s perfectly normal. But it’s important to keep trying, do our best everyday and find our own personal path towards improvement.

If it’s true that you and I won’t solve climate change alone, people play a key role in building a strong support for policies and solutions that can.